WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER 
LET NOT MAN PUT ASUNDER 



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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



What God Hath Joined Together 
Let Not Man Put Asunder 



a collection of 
Matrimonial Sermons and Addresses 



Translated from the German 



By J. F. KRUEGER 



1907 

The German Literary Board, 

Burlington, la. 



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iLiSRARYofCOf*6R5SS? 
j r«o Copies RacelYBd ? 

I JUL 15 1907 
! /7C3cx«eht Entry 

I^AS* xi XX&i HO. 



Copyright 1907 

by R. NEUMANN, 

Burlington, la. 



Can two walk together, except they be agreed? — Amos 3 } 3. 

Beloved in the Lord: The hour has come in which you 
shall pledge with heart and lips matrimonial fidelity one to 
the other; in which the Word of God shall sanction and seal 
your union. This is dema'nded by ohe sanctity of matri- 
mony, for it is the oldest of all bonds. It is the holy root of 
family life, planted by God Himself. It is the sacred in- 
heritance from Paradise, through which success and happi- 
ness are transmitted to children and to children's children. 
It is a parable and picture of that love which unites Christ 
with the Church and the Church with Christ. Therefore : t 
is very important and necessary that you do not enter upon 
this holy estate without the blessing of Him who is the giver 
of every good and perfect gift. The Word of God gives you 
as a motto for the journey of life, which from this hour you 
will take together, the words of the prophet Amos : Can two 
walk together, except they agree? 

Blessed is the home in which husband and wife are one 
in faith. If they are not so blessed, worldly affections and 
interests unite them. But if the holiest affections, the high- 
est interests, join them to one another, namely, Faith in the 
Triune God, the Father, who has created them, the Son who 



— 4 



has redeemed them, the Holy Ghost, who has called them to 
holiness and eternal life, then matrimony is a blessed picture 
of the Paradise which was lost, and also of the eternal and 
perfect union with God, which Christians are seeking. 

If your hearts are one in faith, sorrow will be easier to 
bear, darkness be turned into light. God has helped you to 
bear joy and sorrow in the past, therefore continue your 
journey trusting in His guidance, one in faith by His grace 
and mercy, and you will always have the antidotes for the 
poison of sorrow and of death. You will always be able to 
say with David: " Yea, though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for Thou art with me ; 
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 

Then you will be more and more, one in love. Beloved, 
not all the days of your married life will be as happy as trrs 
day, nor is it only outward affection or anxiety for health 
and life which will try to mar and destroy your happiness. 
Stealthy intruders will enter into your very hearts. The 
longer husband and wife live together, the better they learn 
to know each other, their weaknesses, peculiarities, faults, 
failings, shortcomings and sins. Woe unto them then, if 
love ceases and grows cold. Beware, for it is just at this 
time we ought to preserve and prove it. Then it is necessary 
to bear and forbear, to endure and forgive one another in 
love, to help one another with a loving spirit, not to become 
angry, embittered, or even disappointed, but with humility 
and gentleness, with unselfishness and ever-growing love, to 



— 5 



follow Him who had patience with our weakness, to help one 
another in crucifying the old man, to assist each other's 
growth in holiness of heart and life, " to press toward the 
mark for the prize of the higher calling of God in Christ 
Jesus." True, the husband is the lord of the wife, but not 
her tyrant; the wife subject to the husband, but not his 
slave. Above all, put on love, which is the bond of per- 
fectness. 

Be one in faith, in love, in hope. Like an unknown land 
the future lies before you. Today you take the first steps 
into it. But whatever hopes you may have for your future 
life (and may God grant that all your hopes be fulfilled so 
far as they are good and needful for you), do not have any 
other hope except that which is rooted in faith and in love. 
Then, whether God gives you happy, richly-blessed hours, 
or whether He offers you the cup of suffering, you will al- 
ways experience that "They that trust in the Lord shall not 
slide." In joy and in sorrow the keeper of Israel will neither 
slumber nor sleep, and constantly you will receive abundant 
blessing and strength. 

Therefore, enter upon this estate, one in the Loid. And 
if He asks you in this holy hour, warning but at the same 
time encouraging, "Can two walk together except they be 
agreed?" then confess gladly and confidently (and we will 
join with you), "But now abideth faith, hope, love, these 
three; but the greatest of these is love." Amen. 



— 6 — 



II. 



As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same 
one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, — 
1 Peter 4,10. 

Dearly Beloved: Finally, the long-looked-for hour has 
arrived in which the union of your hearts shall receive the 
blessing of the Lord. As once, when you became betrothed, 
you approached your parents to ask their blessing upon your 
union, knowing that the blessings of the parents buildeth 
houses for the children, — thus tcday you approach the Lord, 
your God, to invoke his blessing, knowing that " Except the 
Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." 
Should the Lord our Gcd, of whom His beloved Son, our 
Saviour, said, " If ye then, being evil, know how to give good 
gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father 
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" 
should He withhold His blessing from those who ask Him? 
No, for He Himself has said, "It is not good that the man 
should be alone; I will make an helpmeet for him." He 
Himself has instituted matrimony. Yes, you may rest as- 
sured that the Lord will bless you, that He will say yea and 
amen to the covenant of your hearts. You feel the solem- 
nity of this hour in which you shall be united for life, and we 
feel it with you. You are standing on the threshold of a 
new epoch in your lives, which we hope, will be for you a 
happy one, through the grace of God. 



As a servant of the Lord, I shall address a few words to 
you before solemnizing your union in His name. I will base 
my remarks on a passage of Holy Scripture found in I Peter 
4:10. "As every man hath received the gift, even so min- 
ister the same one to another as good stewards of the mani- 
fold grace of God." 

This is a solemn exhortation which imposes grave duties 
upon you. The apostle calls you stewards of the manifold 
grace of God. Each one of you has received from God gifts, 
powers of body and mind, which you are not to hide like the 
unjust steward, but which you are to use with His help, first 
of all in the service of one another, remembering that some 
day you will have to give an account of your stewardship 
to Him. Every human being has a distinct personality, 
but he who looks deeper soon recognizes that every human 
being needs some other one for the development of his per- 
sonality. This is the plan of God, who created man for man. 
And he who allows himself to be guided by God in the im- 
portant step of choosing a companion for life, will find the 
one who has been appointed for him by God. For this rea- 
son we often say that marriages are made in heaven. We 
trust that your marriage was made in heaven, and that the 
Lord has brought you together because you were created for 
one another. And for this reason also you should serve one 
another "as good stewards of the manifold grace of God," 
so that His gracious will may be fulfilled and your home be 
a home of peace and joy. 



— 8 



You, the husband, with manly strength and firmness 
should be for your wife a strong support, a safeguard through 
life. Full of confidence, the parents place the hand of their 
daughter into yours, entrust to you the future of their child, 
whom they love; give to you their child that she may be 
yours. Honor, then, the confidence which the parents place 
in you. Protect your wife, serve her with the gifts which 
God has bestowed on you. And you, the wife, also should 
devote your gifts unto the service of your husband. Make 
home life pleasant for him, so that he will gladly return 
after the labor of the day is over. Cool his brow after he 
has borne the heat of hours of toil; gladden his heart by the 
love of your heart and the pleasing comforts with which a 
loving wife can surround her husband. If the husband must 
find recreation outside of his home, then the fragrance of 
married life is gone. You have seen the blessedness of a 
happy home life in the home of your parents. Prepare like- 
wise for your husband a home to which he may gladly turn. 
By the will of God he has been deprived of a home for many 
years; let him now find what he desires; make his home 
happy by serving him with the gifts which the Almighty has 
given you. 

Dearly beloved, I might say a great deal more upon this 
subject, how each one of you may serve the other with the 
gifts which he has received, but I will not enlarge on this 
matter. I will simply say in a general way: serve one an- 
other by giving your hearts each to the other, day after day. 



— 9 — 

The husband desires the heart of his wife, the wife longs to 
possess the heart of her husband. Of what value is the 
hand, if one does not possess the heart? The daily giving 
of the heart is the main requirement for a happy marriage. 
If husband and wife give one another their hearts clay after 
day, then discord, dissention, and estrangement will never 
spring up. 

The apostle demands from you mutual service in the 
truest and noblest sense of the word. But you know from 
your own experience, that he who desires to serve, must 
learn to rule — rule over selfishness, and the will of the natural 
heart. He must daily practise self-denial. However, self- 
denial is not a plant which grows in the soil of this world, 
except by the grace of the Lord, who himself practised the 
greatest self-denial when He gave his life on the cross as a 
propitiation for our sins. 

The natural man can accomplish a great many things by 
the power of his will, but he only can truly deny himself who 
has consecrated his life to the Lord and Saviour, and who 
daily lives in His grace. Therefore I say, be rooted in 
Christ, and drink freely from the ever-flowing fountain of 
grace. Daily bow your knees before Him, and before God, 
your Father in Christ Jesus, and He will give you strength 
for self-denial and for service. And finally adopt as your 
motto the words of the pious Joshua, "But as for me and 
my house, we will serve the Lord." Amen. 



— 10 



III. 



Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in 
prayer. — Bomans 12,12. 

Dearly Beloved in Christ Jesus, Our Lord: The words of 
Holy Scripture which you have heard, " Rejoicing in hope, 
patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer," are a 
golden rule for every Christian, but they bear a special sig- 
nificance for the two who purpose to take the sacred step 
for which we are come together. 

"Rejoicing in hope" would seem unnecessary, of course, 
to address these words to betrothed or newly wedded per- 
sons, for hope is generally the key-note of their souls, and it 
would be pathetic if it were not so. If the relation between 
husband and wife is what it should be, then the husband 
looks upon his chosen companion in life with a warm, happy 
hope; the wife upon the husband given to her by God, with 
a living hope for her innermost life, for her wants and wishes, 
for all her labors during this life. 

It is exceedingly precious to be able to lean upon another 
person with a certain hope that he belongs in every respect 
to one's self more than to any other human being. There- 
fore, beloved, rejoice in this hope. Praise the Lord, because 
you can say as you look upon one another, "Oh, how good 
it is that I can rejoice in hope." 



11 — 



But the words of the apostle should be not only a good 
counsel on the wedding day, but they should be a motto for 
your entire life, even to the very hour of death. .The con- 
tents of this passage shall not lose their value, but on the 
contrary, as*all other Christian truths, shall grow in meaning 
and influence more and more the longer you live. We re- 
joice in hope! These words ought to be written on your 
hearts more clearly every year. This can be experienced 
only if in the last analysis we do not found our hopes upon 
one another, but upon Him who is our true stay in life, our 
assurance for the future, our Lord and our God. Why do 
we so frequently in our day behold marriages beginning with 
hope, but soon changing into an indifferent, cold living to- 
gether? Because people place the hope for married life 
simply upon the beauty and strength of youth, amiableness, 
knowledge, wealth or mental gifts. With hopes so placed, 
one soon learning to know the other, neither can find satis- 
faction in the attractions of the other. Then one looks here, 
the other there, hoping to find satisfaction for the longing of 
the soul. In that moment only two alternatives offer them- 
selves: the world around them with its worldliness, or God 
above them, who is also with them and in them. If they 
choose the first, one disappointment will soon be followed 
by another, and there will ensue a restless hastening from 
one to the other, and finally indifference and coldness — the 
last chapter of many marriages. Dearly beloved, I implore 



— 12 — 

you, choose the latter alternative now, namely, the God 
above you, in you, and with you. This is the precious, yea, 
the only certain guarantee of a happy marriage, that the 
bride and groom clasp their hands as they enter upon the 
holy estate of matrimony, and give each other the promise: 
We will always rejoice in that hope which is based upon the 
Lord, our God. For thus you promise that your heart and 
your soul will always be one. 

But the apostle also continues: "Be patient in tribula- 
tion." No man, dearly beloved, treads always the flowery 
paths of ease. There are days when the sky is overcast with 
dark clouds, and the rumbling thunder ^s heard. Thus, also, 
you may expect tribulation to afflict you during your 
married life. What an earnest woman, christian woman 
on e said to me is most true: Unmarried people never ex- 
perience the deepest joys of life, but they are safest from 
the greatest cares and bitterest sorrows. Married life is not 
only a happy play, but in many respects an earnest school 
of life. 

In this school we learn to know one another. There we 
find out whether or not we were really in earnest when we 
gave the promise, to love one another until death should us 
part. And we pass this test if we support one another in the 
time of tribulation. Such patience and love are not found 
where the lips are stubbornly pressed together with the 
words. "I have to suffer this;" but they are found where 



13 



one says, "God sends me this affliction, therefore it is good 
for me." Where true patience is lacking, there discord en- 
ters, and discord is poison. But where true patience is found, 
there the heart is opened, so the husband and wife can kiss 
away the tears. This patience again is related to hope, for 
both have the same origin. And yet you can only secure and 
keep both, if you heed the third injunction of the apostle, 
"Be instant in prayer." 

Prayer, it is often said, is the breath of the soul; and I 
would add, united prayer is the best and deepest fountain 
of strength in married life. You can learn to rejoice in hope, 
to be patient in tribulation only, if you learn to be instant 
in prayer, thanking the Lord for the blessings of the past, 
invoking His benedictions for the future. 

Adopt daily devotions as the rule and habit of every-day 
life. Open and close each day with prayer. Do not forget 
in your daily life the words of the catechism: That we should 
acknowledge and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. 
Today you stand before the altar of the Lord, and thereby 
you declare that as Christians you cannot live without the 
blessing of the Almighty. But this brief ceremony is not all. 
Day after day you must seek the blessing of the Almighty, 
and this can be done only through prayer. I know well that 
prayer can become a habit, and thus consist merely of words. 
But Christ gives us a good remedy against this when He 
says, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, 



14 — 



and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy father who 
is in secret." When one is not seen or heard by any human 
being, one is safest against mere form or habit. Therefore, 
in the name of our God and Saviour, I implore you, make the 
closet for prayer the hallowed temple of your home. You 
will soon discover what a blessing for your married life is 
found in prayer. 

Thus, then, my friends, if you desire to spend a happy 
married life, follow the words of the apostle, " Rejoicing in 
hope; patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer." 
Amen. 



15 — 



IV. 



For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace 
and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk 
uprightly. — Psalm 84, 11. 

You have come to the temple of the Lord to invoke the 
blessing of the Almighty upon you at the important step 
which you are about to take. Let us then hear and consider 
a brief word of Scripture: "For the Lord God is a sun and 
shield." These are two beautiful pictures which the psalm- 
ist applies to God. He calls Him a Sun and a Shield. 

I. For the Lord is a sun. You can scarcely find a more 
beautiful or appropriate name for the living God, if you en- 
deavor to apply human pictures and names to the Almighty. 
As the sun is the powerful center of the planetary system, 
about which all the planets circle, held in their course by 
the miraculous power of gravitation, so God is the Lord of 
all worlds, the center of all life. He keeps everything in 
its course, around Him everything circles. He ought to be 
the sun of our lives. He is the center of gravity and the 
stay of our spiritual activity. He is the center and strength 
of our lives. May he also be the sun of your home. May 
He keep your souls in His fellowship and His love. Look up 
to Him at all times, in good and evil days. He who sepa- 
rates himself from Him. must perish, just as all creatures 



16 



must die without the life-giving rays of the sun. A home 
which does not regard God, the sun of righteousness, as its 
living and life-giving center, is wretched and miserable, even 
if it should possess all the treasures of the world. 

The sun radiates the light which sustains life and scatters 
the darkness. All plants turn toward this light. Thus the 
eternal light of the world which radiates from God should 
shine into your lives. This light is found in God's word. 
Happy is he who walks and lives in this light, and who opens 
his heart to its rays. The light of grace scatters the dark- 
ness of the world which so often surrounds us. This light is 
a light of joy, of comfort and of peace. Blessed is the home 
into which it sends its bright and peaceful rays! Suffering 
and sorrow will often confront you in your married life, but 
be of good cheer, the eternal light will never lose its radiance. 

The sun is also the source of all heat. Without this heat 
of the sun the earth would be dead and desolate. Thus the 
Holy Spirit who proceeds from God, the Sun of Life, should 
warm us with holy love. Without this love the home is 
desolate. But where hearts glow with true love, there bless- 
ings and joy abide, there matrimony is a source of pure 
happiness. It is the Lord who gives us the abundance of 
His divine love, true, lasting, holy love, which gladly for- 
gets and forgives, which does good to others, which suffers 
long, is kind, and endureth all things. May the eternal sun 
of grace at all times warm and fill your home, so that you 



— 17 — 

may bless the hour in which you were united, and that the 
holy estate of matrimony may become for you an institu- 
tion sanctified by God. 

The sun, because it gives light and heat, is also the dis- 
penser of rich blessings. God placed it in the firmament 
above us that it should be a source of blessing. Thus, God, 
the true sun, continually dispenses blessings and grace. "The 
Lord will withhold no good thing from them that walk up- 
rightly," the psalmist says. Those who look up to Him, 
who open their hearts to Him, who love and fear Him, ex- 
perience His grace. May you also experience it abundantly 
during your married life. 

II. The Lord is a shield, the psalmist continues in our 
text. A shield, this signifies danger and struggle. Often 
we are confronted by temptations from without and within. 
In the holy estate of maniage, poverty, sickness and suffer- 
ing often darkens the sun of grace. You will experience it, 
as we all have experienced it. But the Lord is our shield. 
He covers His children with His grace and succors them 
with His aid. He protects us from the arrows of perdition. 
He graciously guards us, so that no evil befalls us. 

He who wishes to experience this shielding help must 
always take refuge in Him. He who seeks His countenance 
in prayer, and trusts in. Him, can at all times rest safely. 
For this reason David could also say in our Psalm: " O Lord 
of hosts, blessed is the. man that trusteth in Thee." There- 



18 



fore, trust in the Lord at all times. Let His w_rd dwell 
richly in you. Approach Him daily in prayer, for then you 
also will richh r experience His grace. 

To you also the Lord will be a sun and shield. It rests 
with you whether 01 rot you will experience the truth of 
these wc^ds. But 1 know of ro better wish for you at this 
hour, than the words of the psalmist to which ] have invited 
your attention. May God be your constant companion 
through life. May He be the sun and shield of your home. 
Amen. 



19 



V. 



And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of 
perfectness — Col. 3, 14. 

Amid the pealing of the bells and the joyous notes of the 
organ, you have presented yourselves before the altar of the 
Lord. Surrounded by relatives and friends, you have come 
in bridal airay, while the happy and yet solemn countenances 
of those whom you love speak of the sincerity and earnest- 
ness of the wisnes and prayers which at this time ascend for 
you to the throne of the Most High. Your hearts are happy. 
That for which you have longed in the dreams of youth, 
which seems to be the climax of all joy, is now yours. And 
only one thing is lacking, namely, that the servant of the 
Lord bless the union of your hearts. 

Years ago, when on the day of your confirmation you 
promised to be faithful unto the Lord, you knelt at this 
altar. Today, as then, you look upon the picture of the 
Crucified One, and realize the solemnity of the hour. And 
therefore it is only natural that you should ask the question: 
Lord, will we succeed? Will we be able to make one an- 
other happy? 

We cannot tell you what the future has in store for you. 
The happiness of man rests in the hands of God. As the 
servant of the Lord, I can only direct you into that way in 



— 20 — 

which you may find this happiness. Therefore I call you™ 
attention to a passage of Holy Scripture: " Above all these 
things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness." 

Yon have not been led together by outward considera- 
tions, neither because of the wish of your parents, nor fo: 
the sake of gaining wealth. You lave been drawn together 
by the love of your hearts, which told you that one could 
not live without the other. Wc rejoice whenever we be- 
hold a case of true love amid the materialistic trend of our 
times. You valued this love above all, and through this love 
you have overcome all obstacles. Lovingly now the bride 
clings to the husband of her choice, and surrenders herself 
to him with all she has and is; while the strong man embraces 
her, and would bear her on his hands so that she touch not 
the dust of earth. 

But the flowers of youth fade. We cannot at all times 
on our journey through life tread upon roses. Sooner or later 
will come days of which we will say that we have no pleasure 
in them. When the storms of life rage, our hopes also are 
often wrecked. Then peace is supplanted by passion, and 
passion often destroys all beauty, changing even heaven into 
hell. Human love is often like a fire of straw, which speedily 
dies out and leaves nothing but ashes. 

Therefore, "Put on love, which is the bond of perfect- 
ness" — that is, that kind of love which does not cease, even 
after beauty and youth have disappeared; which is not ex- 



21 



tinguished when the storms of life rage all around, but which 
rather is kindled by the winds until its flames mount to 
heaven, there again to find nourishment. The bond of per- 
fectness which does not break, but unites two human hearts 
so that they cannot ever again be separated, is the love of 
Christ. Be one in Him who has loved you unto death. Live 
in His love, and nothing will ever be able to harm you. In 
Him you may suffer and die, and yet you will be happy, for 
in Him you will be united through all eternitv. Amen. 



22- 
VI. 



And now, Lord, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness 
unto thy servant: 

Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy ser- 
vant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O Lord, 
and it shall be blessed for ever. — 1 Chronicles 2 7, 26-27. 

You have come to the temple of the Lord, dearly beloved, 
that the church may assure you of the blessing of the Al- 
mighty foi the journey the beginning of which is marked by 
this day. And this blessing shall not be wanting. It shall be 
bestowed upon you in the name of the Triune God, of whom, 
and through whom, and to whom are all things. He who 
has instituted matrimony and hallowed it as a picture of His 
union with the church, will come to you with His blessing, 
through the word of Holy Scripture which the Evangelical 
Lutheran church, through her servant, will address to you. 
But before I lift up my hands to bless you, let me briefly ex- 
plain to you the significance of the blessing which you desire. 
I shall do this by basing my remarks upon the last words of 
the prayer of King David, which he uttered after he had 
received the promise of Jehovah, that the Lord would build 
him a house. "And now, Lord, Thou art God, and hast 
promised this goodness unto Thy servant: Now, therefore, 
let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it 



23 



may be before thee forever; for Thou blessest, Lord, and it 
shall be blessed forever."—/ Chron. 17:26-27. 

You have begun today to build a home. Ah, how diffi- 
cult this task often is. For all human ability, all worldly 
advantages, give us by no means the assurance that we shall 
succeed. " Except the Lord built the house, they labor in 
vain that build it." Blessed is he who knows and acknowl- 
edges this fact, for to him the Lord will give the promise 
which He once gave to King David: "The Lord will build 
thee an house." The blessing of the Lord is the only firm 
foundation for a newly established home. Without His 
blessing the home is built upon sand, even though outwardly 
it shines with beauty. With Him, the poorest hut is a 
strong palace which none can destroy and which the floods 
can never overthrow, for "God is in the midst of her, she 
shall not be moved, God shall help her and that right 
early." 

This is the blessing which the Lord offers to you. Ac- 
knowledge it with grateful hearts. David had reached the 
climax of his life, when he received the blessing of the Lord, 
and answered it with the prayer: "And now, Lord, Thou art 
God, and hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant." 
This is the faith upon which he stands, this the knowledge 
from which he proceeds: God is the source of all blessings, 
as for the past; so also for the future. You also, beloved, 
have reached the climax of your lives. And from the high 



24 



vantage ground of this day you should look backward into 
the past, and also forward into the future. And as you re- 
flect upon the past, may this be the prayer of your souls: 
"And now, Lord, Thou art God." I do not know your past 
life well enough to be able to tell you of particular blessings 
which you have received from the Lord. But even without 
this knowledge, my dear friends, I can suggest this confession 
of faith to you. As you consider your position in life, as 
you look upon parents, brothers and sisters, who surround 
you full of joy on this day, I can ask you in the name of the 
Lord of Hosts, who has always blessed His children, to join 
with David in this confession: "And now, Lord, Thou art 
God, and hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant." 
And is not this at the same time the prayer of your soul also 
as you look forward into the future? After all, the best 
dower, the most precious wedding gift for the Christian, are 
the promises of God, who does not promise things only to. 
break His promise the next moment, but whose covenants 
and grace endure for ever and ever. If they are your por- 
tion, then, dearly beloved, you will be able securely to tread 
the path before you — a path which you have entered, it is 
true, according to your own counsel and will, but according 
to the counsel and will also of the Almighty. Then you will 
be able to walk safely upon the highest heights of joy, but 
not less securely in the dark valley, in which the Lord alone 
is staff and rod. May this knowledge be a light on the path- 



— 25 — 

way which you together intend to follow. Let it never be 
extinguished by the many idols of home and heart which 
Christians so often worship. Neither human strength nor 
skill, nor wealth, pleasure, nor honor, but God in the heart 
and in the home — this is the source of all joy and happiness 
in the world. 

And therefore, dear friends, we admonish you also in this 
hour to continue full of confidence: u Now, therefore, let it 
please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may 
be before Thee forever." Let it please thee — and yet David 
had reached the highest heights of happiness. How, then, 
can he utter a prayer like this? Let it please Thee — and yet 
he is only dust and ashes. How, then, does he dare to ap- 
proach the Lord with these words? I imagine that David 
had just such thoughts as move your souls at this hour. He 
realized that he was entering upon a new period of his life, 
and he desired that the Almighty should be the beginning 
and the end of this new epoch. And while he knew that he 
was only dust and ashes, he knew also that he was a child of 
God, and was privileged to come to God in prayer. He knew 
that if he asked, it would be given unto him; if he sought he 
would find; if he knocked, the treasuries of divine blessings, 
temporal and spiritual, would be opened unto him. And 
now, dearly beloved, let this be your prayer also. A home 
may possess all conveniences; it may be furnished with all 
the luxuries of life. But if no altar for prayer has been set 



— 26 — 

up in it, it is after all but a poor home, and its inmates are 
not to be envied. May your home never become poor in this 
respect. I will presently pronounce upon you the blessing 
of the Triune God. Therefore commence now to pray, "Let 
it please thee, Lord, to bless the house of Thy servant," 
so that He may become the foundation of your home, that 
he may abide in your home forever. The storms will blow, 
the waters of tribulation will rage in your life also, but if the 
Lord is the rock upon which your home has been erected, it 
will not fall, but stand securely. 

It is not our intention to frighten you, but we would that 
your hearts be firmly established. How great and wonder- 
fu' a possession is the blessing of the Almighty. They who 
possess it know how different it is from the blessing which the 
world bestows. They who do not strive to obtain it, can 
not understand its greatness, for it is a free gift of the Lord, 
and in regard to this gift it is often true: " Wonderful are 
Thy judgments, and Thy ways past finding out." And yet, 
"His thoughts are always higher than our thoughts; His 
ways higher than our ways." He means yea and amen, 
even though He seems to deny us our desires. He sends 
blessings, even when He seems to take from us that which 
we love, and sends us sorrow in its place. In many cases He 
has placed His richest blessings within a shell so hard and 
bitter that it takes all our faith to find the sweet kernel. Do 
not forget this, my friends. I am not a prophet, and much 



— 27 — 

less the messenger of misfortune, desiring to mar your happi- 
ness even for a moment. But I regard it as my duty to call 
your attention to the fact that during your married life you 
will often be called upon to bear the cross. The Lord him- 
self could not enter into union with His church, without tak- 
ing upon Himself the cross, nor will your souls be kept and 
strengthened in union with the Lord, without the cross. 
Should the days come, therefore, in which the Lord will lead 
you through the deepest depths of sorrow, do not forget that 
"all things work together for good to them that love God." 
"For Thou blessest, Lord, and it shall be blessed forever." 
Let me conclude with a picture taken from Holy Scrip- 
ture. By the brook Jabbok you may behold a man whom 
the Lord has so richly blessed with worldly goods that he 
himself is compelled to acknowledge, "I am not worthy of 
the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which Thou 
hast showed unto Thy servant." There he wrestles with a 
man until the dawn of day. Now then, my friends, what- 
ever thoughts may move your soul in this hour, let all your 
desires, wishes and hopes be contained in the prayer of this 
man, Jacob-Israel: "I will not let thee go, except thou bless 
me," for "Thou blessest, Lord, and it shall be blessed for- 
ever." Amen. 



— 28 



VII. 



Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his home upon 
a rock: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded 
upon a rock. 

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house 
upon the sand: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of 
it.— Matthew 7, 24-27. 

The words of Holy Scripture which you have just heard 
are undoubtedly familiar to you. They form the conclusion 
of the sermon on the mount, and tell us of a foolish man who 
built his house upon the sand, and of a wise man who built 
his house upon a rock. You have appeared in the Lord's 
temple this day that you might invoke the blessing of the 
Almighty upon the union of your hearts. In this holy hour 
I will address this question to you: Upon what foundation 
will you erect your home? 

(1) Upon that which passes away? or 

(2) Upon that which abides forever? 



— 29 — 

The man who built his house upon sand was undoubtedly 
very foolish. He might have known that during a storm or 
a flood it would soon fall to ruins. The foundation is the 
most important part of the house, for it bears the entire 
structure, and if it has not been well built, then the super- 
structure is of no value. His neighbors and friends undoubt- 
edly called the attention of this foolish man to these facts, 
and justly we condemn his action. And yet, how many fol- 
lowers this man has found in the course of the centuries! 
How many even today are like him! Will you also be num- 
bered among them? 

You resemble this man if you build your home upon the 
things of this world. You possess perhaps worldly riches, 
but if you put your trust in them, you will be disappointed. 
Earthly possessions are perishable. He who is rich today, 
may tomorrow be poor. And when your wealth disappears, 
or death knocks at the door of your home, then your house 
falls, for it has been built upon sand. 

Perhaps you rely upon your health and your strength, or 
upon the beauty of youth. You may never have been sick; 
you may not even have seriously considered this possibility. 
And yet how soon can sickness come. When your strength 
is broken and you have no other support, your house crum- 
bles into dust, for it has no foundation. If, therefore, you 
wish to resemble the wise man, then build your home not 
upon those things which pass away, but — 

(2) Upon those things which remain eternally. 



— 30 



The wise man had built his house upon a rock, and when 
the rain descended and the floods carae, and "the wind blew, 
it stood firm and immovable. His house may not have 

looked as beautiful as the house of the foolish man, but its 
foundation was strong and secure. Do you ask. what is 
this strong foundation upon which we may erect our home? 
Then I answer: " For other foundation can no man lay, than 
that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 

Experience will soon show you that all men. even those 
who appear happy, are confronted by foes. Everyone has 
enemies; everyone has hours of despondency and despair. 
Such stroms will also blow around your house, but they will 
not be able to destroy it, if Christ is its foundation, for He 
has given His children the promise: " Lo, I am with you alway 
even unto the end of the world." Trials and temptations 
are our constant companions through life, and it may often 
be difficult in the dark hours of life, to confess, ''Whom have 
I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that 
I desire beside Thee." But your home cannot fall if you 
have built it upon the rock Jesus Christ, if you. full of con- 
fidence, can pray, "I believe, Lord, help Thou my unbelief. 7 ' 
No, the sun does not shine at all times, even in the firma- 
ment of matrimony. Though two may love each other, 
hours may come in which they will not understand one an- 
other. And yet. if those joined in wedlock can make the 
confession: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, 



— 31 — 

and forever," then they can at all times find again the com- 
mon foundation upon which their home has been erected. 

Dearly beloved, upon what will you build your home; 
upon that which passes away, or upon that which abides 
forever? May the Lord guide your hearts, that you may 
reach a right decision, so that this hour may become for you 
an hour of richest blessing, for time and for eternity. Amen. 



32 



VIII. 

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain 
village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her 
house. 

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, 
and heard his word. 

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him? 
and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to 
serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art 
careful and troubled about many things: 

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, 
which shall not be taken away from her. — Luke 10, 3S-42. 

It is a solemn occasion which has brought you together 
in the temple of the Lord. You desire the blessing of the 
Almighty upon the union of your hearts. United you in- 
tend to walk through life, to share good and evil days. 
Those who love you, give you their best wishes for your fu- 
ture welfare, and we unite with them in invoking the blessing 
of the Almighty upon you. May you walk through life with 
Martha's zeal, and with Mary's love. 

The Lord on one of His journeys had come to the house 
of Mary and Martha. Martha was cumbered about much 
serving. This certainly was not wrong. Many things must 



— 33 — 

be attended to in the home. To receive guests is our duty, 
and Martha's zeal, trouble and labor were for the Lord. Life 
will bring to you also much toil and trouble. The cares of 
every-day life come upon everybody, and he is foolish who 
lightly thinks to avoid them. As long as human beings 
breathe upon earth, the words will hold true, "In the sweat 
of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread." And, we may add, 
that which makes life worth living is toil and labor. May 
you not be wanting in the true zeal of Martha. 

And yet the Lord rebuked Martha. Why? Because she 
allowed this outward care to occupy all her time and atten- 
tion; because she imagined that her labor was sufficient; 
because amidst her work she neglected the salvation of her 
soul. This certainly is wrong. If we take interest only in 
the labors of every-day life, in the cares and troubles of hu- 
man existence, then our souls starve, faith is weakened and 
finally destroyed altogether. For this reason it is necessary 
that Martha's zeal be united with Mary's love. 

2. Mary is quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening 
to His words. At other times undoubtedly she was very 
industrious, but now the Lord has entered her home, and as 
she beholds Him, she forgets the affairs of every-day life, and 
thinks only of the eternal life. May this be true during your 
life also. 

You two, dear friends, have been brought up in Christian 
homes, and you have -reason to be grateful to the Lord for 



34 



this blessing. You have been trained in the spirit of Christ; 
you know the blessings_of a Christian family life. Keep 
what you have inherited. Let your home be a house of the 
Lord among the children of men; let the fire of love burn in 
your souls; let the incense of prayer ascend to the throne 
of the Most High. Be diligent in searching the Scriptures. 
Give the Bible the place of honor in your home. Be faithful 
in the future also in your attendance upon the services in 
the temple of the Lord, for it is there you will learn to sing 
hymns of praise and of thanksgiving; it is there alone you 
will find new strength for the struggles of life. Let your 
lives be guided by that love, which "beareth all things, be- 
lieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.'' 
Let these words be written as a motto upon your hearts and 
in your home: "One thing is needful." 

We do not know what the future has in store for you. 
You will find in it good and evil days. And if the Lord 
sends you blessings, so that you can realize that His com- 
passions have not failed, and are new unto you ever morn- 
ing, then find in this fact an admonition to seek the one thing 
which is needful, namely, the salvation of your soul, to serve 
Him of whom it is written, "Thou art fairer than the chil- 
dren of men.' 1 And if the hours should come of which you 
will say that you have no pleasure in them; if the dark 
hosts of suffering and sorrow will not flee; if sickness like 
an unwelcome guest should enter vour home; if death should 



— 35 — 

knock at the door of your household; then let Him be your 
refuge and strength Who says to you on this occasion, "One 
thing is needful." 

Dearly beloved, Martha's zeal, Mary's love — strive to 
possess them, preserve them, and your lives will be richly 
blessed. Amen. 



36 — 



IX. 



But he shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call 
you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gen- 
tiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourself. — Isaiah 61 , 6. 

On the wedding day the groom gives to his beloved bride, 
not only a new home, bat also a new name. According to 
the words of the prophet, the Almighty bestows on those 
within the marriage bond two new names, namely: Priests 
of the Lord, and ministers of God. It is true these names 
are in one sense old, but they should ever gain new signifi- 
cance that you may become, more and more, priests of the 
Lord, and ministers of God. 

The priests of God in the Old Testament wore white gar- 
ments. You, as priests ot the new covenant, may and ought 
to wear the spotless robe of Christ's perfect righteousness. 
The priests in olden times were anointed with holy oil. You 
ought to be anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit. The 
pre-rogative of the Old Testament priests, to approach the 
Lord with prayer and thanksgiving, has through Christ be- 
come the privilege of the New Testament priests, that is, of 
all the children of the Lord. And I am certain that you will 
make use of this privilege in all the varied experiences of 
your future life. 

Priests had their home in the temple of the Lord. Doubt- 



— 37 — 

less the words of the psalmist apply to you also: "The 
sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for 
herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, 
Lord of Hosts." Yet, however cozy your home may be, 
you should always be able to say, " Lord, I love the habita- 
tion of Thy house." 

Further, priests offered sacrifices. What will you offer 
to the Lord as a sacrifice? Bring Him the pleasing sin-offer- 
ing of a penitent, broken spirit; the perfect burnt-offering 
of a sanctified heart and body, the sweet-smelling incense of 
prayei, the acceptable praise-offering for all the benefits of 
the Lord, the meat and drink offerings of love and mercy. 

The priests were privileged to bestow the blessing of the 
Almighty upon the people. May you not only receive but 
also bestow blessings upon all who enter your home. In a 
word, may you become and be called priests of the Lord. 

But you shall also be called ministers of God. I am cer- 
tain that both of you cross the threshold of matrimony with 
the words of Joshua, " But as for me and my house, we will 
serve the Lord." May God himself grant you that spirit of 
obedience which at all times asks, What would Jesus say? 
May the Master's words, "Without Me ye can do nothing," 
arouse within your hearts the echo, "Without Thee we will 
do nothing." And because the Lord has been faithful to 
you, requite this faithfulness with faithfulness. Sanctify 
your whole heart, all your strength, all your powers, to Him. 



— 38 — 

If the Lord should see fit some day to place upon your shoul- 
ders a heavy cross, then prove that you have not only 
strength to do, but also strength to bear. 

Moreover, what does the Lord do for His children? He 
provides for them, much better and more abundantly than 
any earthly lord cares for his servants. God regards bis 
servants as children, for they have become His children 
through Jesus Christ. What a blessed assurance, to know 
that the Lord will give us all things needful for body and 
soul. This, of course, does not mean that you will be ex- 
empt from labor and toil, but it will keep you from care and 
worry. The Lord provides for His children as a father, He 
rewards them royally. He crowneth them with lovingkind- 
ness and tender mercies. You also, dearly beloved, will ex- 
perience the kindness and goodness of the Lord during your 
lives. The Lord in whose service you are engaged is good. 
May He at the end of your priestly career address to you the 
words: "Where I am, you, my servants, shall be also.'' 
Amen 



39 



X. 



And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this 
day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served 
that were on the other side of the flood, or the goods of the Amorites, 
in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve 
the Lord. —Joshua 24, 15. 

These solemn words were once uttered by Joshua, when 
he had assembled the children of Israel for the last time. 
In impressive words he had asked them to choose between 
the dead idols of the heathen, and the living God, Jehovah, 
the benefactor of Israel. You may choose as you will, he 
says to them, as it were, you may be grateful or ungrate- 
ful, wise or foolish, "but as for me and my house, we will 
serve the Lord." 

It was a decisive hour in which this pious decision was 
taken and uttered. In your lives also a decisive hour has 
come. Ah, that these words may also move your souls and 
flow from your lips: " We will serve the Lord." 

Consider, in the first place, the brief word "but," in the 
confession of Joshua, and utter it, with him, with firm de- 
termination. It is directed against the inconsistency and 
unfaithfulness of many in our day; against the many mar- 
ried people who halt between two opinions, now serving the 
God of revelation, then the gods invented by man, called by 



— 40 — 

whatever name they may be — nature, or fate, or wealth, or 
pleasure; against the many homes in which we discover so 
little of true Christianity, in which one may never hear the 
Word of God or the voice of prayer. In contrast to these, 
resolve today: " But as for me and my house, we will serve 
the Lord." 

Establish a Christian home and let it continue such. Be 
and remain the salt of the earth, the light of the world. The 
Lord needs such homes in this time of unbelief and of relig- 
ious indifference. 

Notice further the declaration of Joshua: "We will serve 
the Lord." Such service demands faithful attendance upon 
the services of the Lord's temple, and upon the sacraments 
of the Lord. For by doing this you give to God and Christ 
what is theirs, and at the same time you receive rich gifts of 
grace out of the treasury of divine goodness. This service 
requires, further, that you in your home hallow the name of 
the Lord, read His Word, fulfill His will, and offer to Him 
the incense of prayer. When there is given to God the honor 
which is His due, His honor and glory will dwell in the home, 
His kingdom will come, and body and soul will receive their 
daily bread. This service demands also faithfulness in the 
pursuits of daily life, according to the words of Luther: 
" Prayer a work, and work a prayer." Finally, this service 
requires gratefulness in the days of joy, humility in the days 
of sorrow, and that love which "seeketh not her own," 



41 



but also her neighbor's good, and which gladly divides 
with him everything of this changing life — joy as well as 
sorrow. 

A home in which the Lord is served in this manner is a 
happy home, built upon a rock against which the billows of 
distress and the floods of temptation break in vain. 

Decide today to become the servants of the Lord. Take 
the words of Joshua as a motto for your home, for then your 
home will be a home of " Joshua" — that is " whose help is 
Jehovah." Amen. 



— 42 — 



XI. 



Then the same clay at evening, being the first day of the week, 
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for 
fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, andsaith unto 
them. Peace be unto you. — John 20 ,19 . 

" Peace be unto you! " With these words of greeting the 
risen Christ appeared in the midst of His disciples on Easter 
Sunday. He who so gladly distributed gifts of grace among 
His followers, knew of no better gift to bestow upon the dis- 
ciples whom He loved, than the greeting. "Peace be unto 
you." Dearly beloved, you know that on your wedding 
day your pastor wishes you much joy and happiness, and yet 
the best wish after all is that which is expressed in the words 
of the Master. "Peace be unto you."' 

"Peace be unto you." During my ministry I have fre- 
quently entered homes which were richly blessed with the 
goods of this world and favored by fortune. But I have also 
entered into homes which had to struggle against poverty. 
affliction and want. I have always noted that the happiness 
of a home does not depend upon outward circumstances, but 
upon the disposition of the people within it. the condition of 
their hearts. They alone decide the happiness or unhappi- 
ness of the home. All other considerations are unimportant. 

"Peace be unto you." Thus I say to you from the 
depths of my soul. You love each other with your whole 



43 



heart. Love and nothing else has brought you together, 
and it is your firm determination to love one another until 
death shall part you. This determination will have to bear 
many a test. It is not necessarily through others that you 
will be tempted, or the endeavor come to separate you from 
one another, to destroy your love. You yourselves will be 
the cause of many a test. You imagine that you know one 
another thoroughly. You are mistaken in this, for the eyes 
of people who love one another are often holden. They see 
each other in Sunday array, but not in everyday garb. It 
will be during the days of your married life that you will 
learn to know each other. It will be a question whether or 
not you will then find only good and noble traits. Then you 
must get acquainted with one another, and you will be com- 
pelled to forbear and to forgive, if you wish, to live in peace. 
" Peace be unto you." Thus the risen Christ spoke to 
His disciples, and immediately after He had uttered the 
words, He showed them His hands and His side. The Lord 
knew that peace could not be and remain with them, if He, 
the Prince of Peace, did not give them His peace, "which 
surpasseth all understanding." If we have the peace of God, 
and peace with God, then we can have also peace with one 
another until the end. He who has experienced the love 
and the kindness of the Almighty, is willing and anxious for 
His sake to be kind and loving to everyone. He who has 
experienced the forbearing and forgiving love of God in 
Christ, is also willing to forbear and to forgive others. 



— 44 — 

You have richly experienced the lovingkindness of the 
Lord. It is true he has not preserved you from all sorrow 
and sadness. But although He has taken from you some 
whom you loved, He has left many whom you may love. 
He has guided you on the path of life so that you should 
meet and learn to know one another. And having brought 
you together, He will now bless you. 

You have richly experienced the goodness of the Lord in 
Christ Jesus. Where you have failed, he has forgiven your 
shortcomings, and He will never become weary in forgiving 
your faults. As often as you come to Him, He will take the 
burden from your soul and say to you: " Be content; depart 
in peace, and I will be your God and Father to all eternity. " 

May this peace be with you at all times. For it is the 
source of all peace in the world, not only peace with one an- 
other, but also peace of the soul, so that one can humbly 
submit to the wonderful ways and seemingly strange counsels 
of the Lord. If we have this peace, then we are satisfied 
with everything the Lord sends us, for we know that the Al- 
mighty has always thoughts of peace toward us, so that we 
may, even in the fires of tribulation, say, "We know that all 
things work together for good to them that love God." 

May the God of peace be your comfort in the days of 
darkness; may He be the source of your joy in days of pros- 
perity. May He heal the wounds of the heart, and sanctify 
the joys of the soul. "Peace be unto you." Amen. 



— 45 



XII. 



Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy ser- 
vant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O Lord, 
and it shall be blessed for ever. — 1 Chronicles 17, 27. 

It is the will of God that man should be a blessing to man. 
Wherever two hearts are filled with love for one another, 
wherever two hands are united to work and to pray for each 
other, there it may truly be said, these two have been des- 
tined to become a blessing to one another. And should I 
ask you in this solemn hour, what is your purpose in taking 
up your life's journey together? you would undoubtedly 
answer, nothing else than to live with and for each other, to 
become a blessing each to the other through life. For this 
your loved ones offer you their wishes and prayers. They 
gather up all their wishes into the prayer, that the Lord may 
let the sun of His grace shine in your home, that He may be- 
stow His richest blessings upon your house. You also com- 
bine your desires to-day into the one prayer for the blessing 
of the Lord, knowing that he is blessed forever who is blessed 
by the Lord. The wedding day is a day of sacred joy. On 
this day the hearts beat faster, the eyes shine brighter 
Friends from near and far surround the bridal couple. And 
yet, what is the most elaborate wedding without the blessing 
of the Almighty? It is only where He fills the hearts with 



46 



His joy, where He is invited to the wedding, that this day 
can be a day of true joy. Therefore do not forget to ask 
Him: "Now, therefore, let it please Thee to bless the house 
of Thy servant." Blessed is the home which is built upon 
the blessing of the Almighty, and which ever continues to 
ask for that blessing. In the labors of the day, prayer for 
the Lord's blessing should be the first and the last duty of 
husband and wife. We hope that you will find few thorns 
on your journey through life. But you know well that all 
Christians must pass through much tribulation. If, there- 
fore, the Lord places some heavy cross upon your shoulders, 
be steadfast in prayer, so that you may find out the bles- 
sings of tribulation. And if days should come in which it 
will be difficult for you to understand one another, in which 
the evil seed of discord begins to spring up in your souls, 
then seize the only remedy. Pray for and with one another, 
" Now, therefore, let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy 
servant, for Thou blessest, Lord, and it shall be blessed 
forever." The joys of the wedding day pass, the most beau- 
tiful wedding gifts, the stateliest homes, become old; but one 
thing never grows old, never vanishes even in the hour of 
death — the blessing of God. Regard it as the most precious 
wedding gift, as the greatest treasure of your home. May 
it abide upon you today and forevermore. May your entire 
married life be a proof of the truth of the passage: "For 
Thou blessest, Lord, and it shall be blessed forever." 
Amen. 



— 47 — 



XIII. 



And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of 
peifecfness. — Colossians 3, 14. 

Radient in the beauty of youth, surrounded by relatives 
and friends, I welcome you, dearly beloved, before the altar 
of the Lord. You have come to spend a quiet hour on this 
eventful day; a moment of meditation amid the excitement 
of this festal occasion. At this hour the Almighty Himself 
addresses to you a word which, amid the passing splendor of 
this day, shall remind you of the lasting treasure of heaven: 
"And above all these things put on love, which is the bond 
of perfectness." 

The thoughts which move your souls at this hour; the 
prayers and petitions which fill the hearts of your loved ones; 
the supplications of dear ones in heaven before the throne 
of God, are all contained in the passage of Holy Scripture 
which we have just read. It is a prayer of thanksgiving 
you would offer for that love of God and of your friends which 
you have experienced so richly? Would you express the 
sentiment with which you take upon yourselves the duty of 
married life? Or are your thoughts filled with the hope 
which lights up the way as you look into the future? May 
all the feelings which move your soul this day be touched 
and hallowed as you utter the words : " Above all these things 
put on love, which is the bond of perfectness." 



— 48 — 

God created woman to be a helpmeet for man. A help- 
meet in rest and in labor, in joy and in sorrow, to help him 
bear the burdens of life which rest on his shoulder. She is 
a helpmeet also on the way of life, where often the weaker 
must support the stronger. Although she is weak, she may 
become the stronger, for in the kingdom of God the words 
hold true, "I am made strong in weakness." And if the 
husband has been called the head of the wife, it is not that 
God has laid upon him a greater honor, but a greater re- 
sponsibility. He is the sturdy oak to which the vine clings 
for support and defense. 

In certain high and solemn hours like this, vows are made; 
and during the quiet hours of everyday life they are kept. 
Do not wait for special occasions to prove the sincerity of 
your love, but pay the debt of love in the ordinary affairs 
of daily life. If it happens that one must humble himself 
for the sake of the other, or if both be called to prove that 
they do not seek their own, but the welfare of each other 
then it is seen whether or not their affection is that genuine 
love which "believeth all things, beareth all things, hopeth 
all things, endureth all things." "Put on, therefore," the 
apostle writes, "as the elect of God, holy, beloved, bowels of 
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meakness, longsuffer- 
ing, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if 
any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave 
you, so also do ye." These are rays which radiate from the 



— 49 



sun. "And above all these things put on love, which is the 
bond of perfectness." 

What constitutes the happiness of a home? Relatives 
and friends are eager to make the wedding day the most 
memorable event in life for the young people whom they love. 
But does their care insure true happiness? Or does happi- 
ness consist in the fulfillment of the hopes of youth? Our 
hopes pass away as we approach the goal. And as varying 
as is our life, so varying also are our desires. It is not we 
who rule over our lives, with their hopes and desires, but 
God with His almighty hand. And because he rules, there- 
fore we should at all times say with the psalmist: "Trust in 
the Lord, and He shall bring it to pass." This constitutes 
true happiness, that we be firmly established in the faith of 
God's eternal goodness, and that our hearts be one in His 
love. 

The apostle calls love the bond of perfectness. God is 
love. In the love which seeketh not her own, we become 
related to God, and partake of the divine nature. Faith 
and hope will be changed, but love will abide. Love is first 
and last. Love unites hearts, and conducts them together 
on that path of life which leads to the eternal home. Should 
we omit this thought? It seems to me that this is the most 
blessed certainty — we have to know that our union is not 
for a few short years only, but that it lasts to all eternity. 
Then love becomes indeed the bond of perfectness, for "love 
never faileth." Amen. 



50 



XIV. 



A PASTOR. 

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will 
not let thee go, except thou bless me. — Genesis 32. 26. 

It seemed when we entered the temple of the Lord a few 
moments ago, that the organ pealed even more joyfully than 
at other times. For today a servant of the Lord, a guardian 
of the sanctuary, who has blessed the union of many hearts, 
stands before the altar. And for this reason also, the con- 
gregation takes a special interest in this ceremony. 

In spirit we can hear the blessings of the parents which 
build homes for the children. Though this blessing applies 
equally to both of you, yet it seems to me that on the youth- 
ful brow of the bride we can behold the halo of the blessings 
of her sainted father. And to these blessings which you 
receive from the eternal world, we will add the blessing of 
the divine word of God. We will enter into the holy of 
holies and join in the prayer of Jacob: "I will not let thee 
go, except thou bless me." This passage reveals to us: 

(1) The deep desire which fills your souls this day; 

(2) The arduous work to which you pledge yourselves; 

(3) The blessed hope which shelters you to all eternity. 

1. 
Jacob was enabled to utter the prayer, "I will not let 



51 



Thee go, except Thou bless me," only after a dark night of 
distress. 

The festal event which you celebrate today is not an oc- 
casion of darkness, but of joy. " Bless the Lord, oh my 
soul!" you exclaim, full of gladness, and add humbly, while 
remembering the goodness of the Lord, "I am not worthy 
of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou 
hast shewed unto Thy servant." 

Though we hope that your path will lead only through 
pleasant pastures, yet we cannot expect it. The clouded 
hours of life will overshadow your life also. Your future is 
veiled with darkness. But you know the word, " Through 
the cross to the crown," and you are willing to pray: The 
greater the cross, the nearer heaven. Yet often, when the 
God of grace arises against us as our adversary, the light of 
faith is almost extinguished. 

2. 

You are both accustomed to arduous work. The con- 
gregation which you serve, dear brother, will gladly bear 
testimony to this fact. And that you, dear bride, are not 
ashamed of work, has gained for you many true friends. Do 
you wish to become a helpmeet to your husband in his holy 
vocation? Do you desire to travel united on the path to 
life eternal? Then, like Jacob, retire into the stillness, that 



— 52 — 

you may become strong for the noble and important work 
in which you are to labor as long as you live. 

Without this work within our own soul,, all our strenuous 
toil gains no blessing for ourselves or for our congregation. 
Only as you share in this wrestling of the soul, wall you, 
dear bride, become a weaver of peace, as the ancient Ger- 
mans called their wives. In this common labor you take 
the burning coals from the altar of the Lord, with them to 
kindle the hearth-fire of your home and heart. In this work 
you learn to understand the secret of a happy home, which 
consists in forgetting the "me" and caring for the "thee." 
In this arduous work you will discover that every union is 
lasting and enduring only as it is established upon the im- 
movable foundation. If you are truly united for this ardu- 
ous work, then the words, "I will not let Thee go," will 
become a firm foundation which cannot be shaken, a strong 
tie which cannot be broken. Yea, the words, "I will not 
let Thee go, except Thou bless me," will become a halle- 
lujah of victory, because you know that you are sheltered 
to all eternity. 



Jacob had striven with God and with men, and had pre- 
vailed. He received the name Israel, that is, "Prince of 
(wrestler with) God." 

A great change takes place in your lives to-day. You, 



— 53 — 

dear bride, leave the home of your parents and accept the 
name of your husband, while you both say willingly, What 
is mine, is thine. 

Thus your home will become a home of peace, of blessing; 
the vestibule of heaven. Build your home upon the grace 
of God. Have your windows open toward Jerusalem. Write 
these words with golden letters over the entrance of your 
home: " My house is a house of prayer." Choose as a motto 
for your journey through life: "The Lord is my shepherd." 
Let the promise of the Lord be your granary: "I will not 
leave thee nor forsake thee." Thus the pillars of your house 
will be firmly established. If within or without the dark 
clouds of distress threaten you, you know the way which 
will lead you out of the night into the light of God's grace. 
You have a herb which can sweeten the bitter waters of 
Mara. You can open the gates of heaven with the humble 
and yet courageous, struggling and yet victorious prayer: 
"I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me." Amen. 



— 54 — 



XV. 



And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from 
following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go: and where thou 
lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my 
God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the 
Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee from 
me.— Buth 1, 16-17. 

"Faithful unto death" — thus we might briefly express 
the truths contained in the passage of Holy Scripture which 
you have selected for this occasion. Faithful unto death, 
Ruth leaves her mother's home, her people, and her gods, 
that she might go with the mother of her husband into a 
foreign country, there to live among a strange people, who 
serve another God. the one true, living God. Faithful unto 
death! This shall be your motto as you enter upon the 
holy estate of matrimony in the presence of God and of these 
witnesses. God himself shall hear the confession of your 
lips and hearts, as you join your hands — a symbol of the 
union of your hearts. May He so bless your married life, 
that it may always be said of you, " Faithful unto death."' 

Ruth shows you what is the significance of these words 
for your lives also : 

(1) Thy way is my way; 

(2) Thy people are my people; 

(3) Thy God is my God. 



55 



1 



Naomi is loath to accept the sacrifice of Ruth; she wants 
to send her home to her mother. But Ruth is faithful. She 
says: "Intreat me not to leave thee, nor to return from fol- 
lowing after thee. For whither thou goest I will go, and 
where thou lodgest I will lodge." Thus also it is your firm 
determination never to leave one another. United you in- 
tend to walk through life, wherever God may lead you. 
Your hearts have been joined by love. God has graciously 
brought you to the hour when you can enter into matrimony. 
Within your hearts the words resound: " Whither thou goest, 
I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge." Thus it 
ought to be in marriage, the sacred institution of God. The 
husband ought to leave father and mother and cleave to his 
wife. The bride should follow the husband of her choice 
wherever God may lead. You shall walk united, whether 
on paths of joy and gladness, or of sorrow and sadness. 
Shared joy is twofold joy, shared sorrow is divided sorrow. 
Journey through life, faithful unto death. Then as the 
years go by your hearts will be joined even more firmly in 
love. Then you will learn to esteem one another more and 
more, and at the same time you will learn to overlook more 
and more one another's faults and weaknesses. "Thy way 
is my way." Let this be the pledge of love in this hour. 
And add to this: "Thy people shall be my people." 



— 56 — 

2. 

Ruth leaves the people of Moab. With the mother of 
her husband she departs to another people. And he who in 
ancient times left his people, went into exile. But her love 
gladly brings this sacrifice. You need not leave the country 
of your birth; you will remain citizens of this great country; 
and yet for you also it becomes necessary to say in this hour: 
"Thy people shall be my people." It is your duty to strive 
for the welfare of the nation. The husband should engage 
in public life, so that justice and right may reign in our land. 
The wife should learn to reign in the seclusion of the home, 
so that everyone who enters under its roof may feel its cheer. 
You should be as faithful to the family into which you enter 
through marriage, as to the family of your birth. 

3. 

"Thy God is my God.' ; This apparently is the hardest 
proof of devotion which Ruth could offer to the mother of 
her husband. And yet actually it is the most precious sac- 
rifice. The fact that the true God of her husband and his 
mother had at this time already become her God, gave her 
the courage of her faithful love. Undoubtedly she had heard 
her departed husband pray to the living God, she had seen 
him depart in firm faith. She had experienced how the 
mother who in a strange country had lost her busband and 
her two sons, had patiently borne this heavy cross. These 



57 



facts had led her to his God. Trusting in this God, she gladly 
goes with the mother of her husband into a foreign country. 
Thy Gocl is my God, thy faith my faith, thy trust my ex- 
ample, thy life of love my strength — thus also you ought to 
confess. United to serve your God and Saviour, in your 
home with your prayers, in your daily lives with your love— 
this is your duty as Christians. This is the root of your love 
and faithfulness. May God grant you His blessing, that 
today you may confess with a sincere heart: "Thy way is 
my way; thy people shall be my people; thy God is my 
God." Then, dear bride, your parents may let you depart 
into another city without fear. You go with God, and His 
blessing will accompany you. Then nothing, neither tribu- 
lation nor sorrow, neither discord nor dissention, will be able 
to separate you from one another. Nothing but death can 
part you. Amen. 



58 



XVI. 

A PASTOR. 

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from 
following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou 
lodgest, I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my 
God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the 
Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and 
me.— Ruth 1, 16-17. 

One way! thus we exclaim as we read this confession of 
faithful devotion. These words strike a responsive chord 
within your hearts. Alone you have thus far traveled along 
the path of life. You, dear brother, along the sunny heights 
and through the dark valleys of your student life, and dur- 
ing the past years of your ministry. You, dear sister, in 
the home of your parents, with gentleness of heart and min- 
istering love, caring for those whom you hold dear. 

Now the Father of mankind has united your souls and 
your paths. It has become one way. What shall befall you 
on this way? The way which leads to this sanctuary is 
strewn with flowers. The way of life cannot and will not 
always be strewn with roses. Dear brother, lead the com. 
panion whom you have chosen, on the way which you your- 
self have selected, in the fellowship of the Lord. And thou, 
dear sister, lean upon his strong arm and follow him in full 
confidence. 



— 59 — 

United you will walk upon this way, and this way leads, 
in the first place, to a home, the home of an Evangelical 
Lutheran minister. The Catholic church has also many par- 
sonages, erected by the master hand of the architect. But 
all the homes of their ministers are lacking in one thing. 
There is wanting in the house the joy and the crown of the 
home. You, dear sister, are to be the glory of your home. 

Around the head and heart of the Evangelical minister, 
also, flutter the spirits of despondency. He sows confidence 
and reaps mistrust. His heart glows in the desire to bring 
salvation and healing to souls through the Word of the Lord 
but they do not heed his voice. He works and prays, prays 
and works for the spiritual welfare of those entrusted to 
him, but even with the keen eye of love he discovers very 
little fruit. By learning to understand the work of your 
husband and his personal peculiarities, you will succeed in 
making your home a true Evangelical minister's home. And 
who could sufficiently sing the praises of such a home? A 
temple of peace in these stormy days; a place of true, noble 
simplicity amid the cravings of millions for vain pleasures. 
A castle of purity to which hundreds will hasten for help. If 
you succeed in establishing a home like this, how gladly will 
the weary and heavy-laden, the hundreds afflicted by moral 
and physical infirmities, enter through your doors. 

(3) "Thy people shall be my people," you continue. You 
will become acquainted with the people only as you live with 



— 60 — 

them. Love is the best teacher. Your home should be the 
center of true patriotism. This has at all times been the 
glory of the Evangelical ministry. Many patriots have come 
forth from the homes of ministers. The inhabitants of the 
parsonage fear God, and therefore they honor the civil power. 
ers, and will always be willing to do everything in their power 
to extend the glory of their country. 

(4) Even to the unmarried servant of the Lord it is a 
special privilege and pleasure, that day after clay, and Sun- 
day after Sunday, he may with his brethren and sisters, lift 
praying hands to the Lord. Now much more precious will 
his life be when it is uplifted day after day by the blessings 
also of family devotion? Daily worship in and with the 
family forms the precious frame which encircles the labors 
of the day, and it ennobles even the most commonplace 
work. 

It is possible for the unmarried minister of the gospel to 
impress the words of love which he proclaims from the pul- 
pit by deeds of love in his daily life. But what a helpmeet 
his wife can be to him in this respect! Behold, dear sister, 
the blessed service of the Lord which you may perform by 
visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and 
by keeping yourself unspotted before the world. 

(5) " Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be 
buried," thus Ruth vowed to her mother. She kept faith 
until death. You ought to follow in her footsteps. Is it 






— 61 — 

suitable on the joyous day of your wedding to remind you of 
this fact? If death is the last word, then it is wrong. But if 
life — eternal life — is the last word and goal, then we may 
even cast a glance upon the grave, especially since it is the 
destiny of man to be placed therein before he can enter into 
life eternal. And in that realm a union of blessedness is 
awaiting you. Thus, then, in the life of the Christian, faith- 
fulness unto death is transformed into faithfulness to all 
eternity. 

May the sun of grace send its rays upon you during the 
day, and the pole-star of love during the night. May the 
Lord of Hosts, whom even the storms and the sea obey, 
guide your bark of life until it safely arrives in the haven of 
rest. One way, one home, one people, one God, one life 
eternal. Amen. 



_ 62 — 
XVII. 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. — 
Psalm 119,105. 

It is not given to the children of men to know the future. 
We do not know what the coming day, or even the following 
moment, may have in store for us. Thus the natural man 
gropes in darkness, filled with fear and trembling. Different 
is it with the Christian. Though God has not revealed the 
future to him, yet he has given him a bright light, His Word. 
It is your intention to journey together through life. You 
have appeared at this time in the house of the Lord, that 
you might receive from the hand of the all-loving Father 
light for the journey of life. It is for you to repeat the words 
of the psalmist: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a 
light unto my path." 

(1) A guide; 

(2) A comforter; 

(3) A source of blessings. 



If a mariner wishes to undertake a journey, it is not suffi- 
cient for him to know whether or not the vessel is well built, 
the machinery in good order, and the weather favorable. 
He must also have a good compass. On the ship of life, this 
compass is the Word of God. As the magnetic needle al- 



63 



ways points toward the polar star, so the Word of God al- 
ways points to the Father of Light, with whom is no variable- 
ness, neither shadow of turning. The Word of God must be 
the form and guide for the actions of the Christian. How 
rich is the Word in accounts of pious married people. There 
we behold Abraham and Sarah, Boaz and Ruth, Elkanah 
and Hannah, Joseph and Mary. In many precious passages 
it shows us the right relation between husband and wife. 
You doubtless know the beautiful simile which Paul uses, of 
the relation between husband and wife, comparing it to the 
relation between Christ and the church — the husband the 
head of the wife, the wife the heart of the husband. 



When storms arise so that the ship is tossed to and fro 
on the billows of the sea, the compass does not deviate in 
the least. The Word of God will be your comforter in times 
of trouble. Let not your hearts be troubled because I speak 
of afflictions. The twenty-third Psalm speaks not only of 
pleasant pastures, but also of the valley of the shadow of 
death. You will meet with affliction. May the Word of 
God be a light and a lamp in those hours. Ah, how kindly 
does it speak to the sorrowful! It tells us of the love of the 
Father, which is stronger even than death. Mountains shall 
depart and hills be removed, but His kindness shall not de- 
part. The river of God is full of water. He shall deliver 



64 



thee in six troubles, yea. in seven there shall no evil befall 
thee. After a period of affliction His love tastes so much 
the sweeter. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness. 



Thus we find the Word of God more and more a source 
of blessing, though sometimes the blessing is as a sweet kernel 
within a bitter shell. But in order that it may become a 
source of blessing to us. we must give it the place of honor in 

the home. Of what value is a costly Bible if it be covered 
with dust? Far better is it if we possess but an inexpensive 
copy, and read it day after day. There should be no day 
without devotion, no meal without prayer. Husband and 
wife must study the Word together and constantly exhort 
one another. One must set the other an example by an ex- 
emplary life. As Adam and Eve ate day after day of the 
fruit of the tree of life, so you must daily partake of the life- 
giving Word. Blessed is the home of which the words may 
be spoken: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the 
Lord.'' Blessed is that married life to which the words of 
Paul may be applied: " The woman is the glory of the man." 
Blessed are the wedded pair who as they walk together can 
say: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my 
path." Amen. 



— 65 — 
XVIII. 

A GOLDEN WEDDING. 

I am as a wonder unto many: but thou art my strong refuge. Let 
my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all thy day. 
Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my 
strength faileth. — Psalm 71, 7-9. 

Greetings, peace and grace be with you, venerable friends. 
In this solemn hour I greet you with the words: May God 
be with you in the future as He has been with you in the past. 
A divine blessing would I, as a servant of the Word and of 
the Church, bestow upon you: "The grace of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the 
fellowship of the Holy Ghost, rest upon and abide with you, 
now and forevermore." A gift of grace I present to you in 
the name of the Lord of Lords. It is the most precious gift 
which can be presented to you. It is the firmest rod and 
staff on your pilgrimage through life; it is the purest fountain 
— one which will at all times refresh your thirsting hearts ; it 
is the best medicine against sin, sickness and spiritual and 
eternal death ; it is the brightest light on the way through 
the dark valley of this earthly life to the home above. 

"I am as a wonder to many, but Thou art my strong 
refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, and with 
Thy honor all the day. Cast me not off in the time of old 
age; forsake me not when my strength faileth." 



— 66 — 

The first of these verses reminds you of the past years of 
your married life. As you reflect upon your life, are you not 
obliged to exclaim: "lam as a wonder unto many"? You 
have spent together fifty years of happiness and joy — this 
is a wonder to many. For happy marriages in our days are 
scarce, because only few married people put their trust in 
the Lord. You have reached an old age, and yet body and 
soul are strong and healthy — this also is a wonder unto many, 
for no man can by his own power add a day to the length of 
his life. This is of the Lord. You have never been in want 
of daily bread, and now you enter upon old age free from care 
and want. This is a wonder to many. You simply say with 
David: "I have been young, now I am old, yet have I not 
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." 
The Lord has gladdened your life by the birth of children. 
But all, with the exception of the son who has come to cele- 
brate this occasion with you, have been called to the eternal 
home. Yea, you have been compelled to give up several 
sons in the prime of life. You have been forced to accom- 
pany to the grave the sunshine of your old age, your grand- 
daughter. These sad events would have broken the heart 
of many a father and mother. You have survived these sor- 
rows. This is a wonder unto many. But you explain it by 
saying, "The Lord is my refuge and strength, a very present 
help in trouble." You have experienced that injustice, en- 
mity, unfaithfulness, uncharitableness of the world, by 
which many a heart has been broken, but you have overcome 



67 



them. This is a wonder unto many. How much sin and 
iniquity has rested heavily upon your soul during the past 
fifty years. Death is the wages of sin, but you still enjoy 
life. The Lord has wrought this miracle of grace, for He 
has been your comfort, your peace, and your life. 

2. 

Since with the psalmist you have experienced the faith- 
fulness of the Lord, you will undoubtedly, my venerable 
friends, also say with him: "My mouth shall be filled with 
Thy praise, and with Thy honor all the day." 

All praise is due the Almighty who has created you, and 
has preserved the health of your body and soul. He has 
constantly spread the table for you; he has held His pro- 
tecting hands over you in many dangers, and for these bless- 
ings you cannot sufficiently thank Him. Yea, if you had a 
thousand lips and a thousand tongues, and if then you could 
sing the praise of the Lord for a thousand years, you would 
not be able to express your gratitude. It is true you have 
experienced many dark days during the fifty years of your 
married life, but it was not His wrath, but His love; not His 
justice but His grace, which chastised you. He has taken 
you as His children into His own school, and has Himself 
instructed you, so that you might be able to learn the truth 
of the words, "Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." "We must 



— 68 — 

through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." 
Now, then, if the Lord has accomplished His work, it is for 
you, having graduated from the school of the cross, to ex- 
claim, "Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, and with 
Thy honor all the day." In hours of weakness, wavering 
and doubt, the all-loving Father has given you His Holy 
Spirit as a comforter and a guide, so that you could be pa- 
tient in tribulation, rejoicing in hope, instant in prayer. 
Therefore you ought to cry: " Bless the Lord, O my soul; and 
all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, 
O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgiveth 
all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who re- 
deemeth thy soul from destruction; who crowneth thee with 
lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy 
mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like 
the eagle's." Your lips must daily overflow with praise and 
thanksgiving. Yes, daily! The evening of your lives has 
come. You have a right to rest from the labors of the day. 
But the light and strengthening labor of praise and prayer 
should never cease. This is the foretaste of the eternal life, 
when after the weeping of the night, the morning shall come 
that bringeth joy. 

3. 

Therefore, trusting in the grace of God, continue on your 
journey of life as long as it is pleasing to Him. The gifts for 
which in the future you should especially ask are simply and 



69 



beautifully expressed in the words of our text: "Cast me not 
off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength 
faileth." Utter this prayer in the name of Jesus, and He 
will say, Yea and amen. "Cast me not off in the time of old 
age." The Lord certainly will not do so, if only you remain 
steadfast in faith, in love and in hope. Prove your faith in 
God on this day, especially by confessing to Him your sins 
and failings, and by asking for His forgiveness. Be not 
afraid to ask each another pardon for the failings of the past 
fifty years, for then you will experience in your forgiving 
hearts the forgiving love of the Master. "Forsake me not 
when my strength faileth." Could He forsake you, who on 
the day of your baptism gave you the promise, "I will keep 
thee as the apple of the eye"? Fifty years ago when you 
entered into the holy estate of matrimony under His blessing 
He gave you the promise: "Even to your old age I am He, 
and even to hoar hairs I will carry you; I have made and I 
will bear, yea, I will carry and deliver you," "Forsake me 
not when my strength faileth." As the two disciples who 
journeyed together to Emmaus constrained the Master, 
"Abide with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far 
spent," even so do you constrain Him by your prayers. For 
if you invite Him, He will abide with you, as with the two 
disciples; He will make His home in your hearts; He will 
make you strong during the days of old age, so that in His 
strength you shall be able to overcome even that strongest 
foe, death and hell. Amen. 



70 



XIX. 

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the great- 
est of these is charity. — 1 Cor. 13,13. 

The three qualities which are mentioned in our text, faith, 
love and hope, must be the foundation of the life of every 
child of God; and if they must be the foundation of our life 
they must also be the foundations of the home. And they 
will always find their place in the marriage relation of the 
Christian. First of all, faith. Faith and confidence are 
synonyms. It is confidence which establishes this union. 
The confidence of the parents gives the beloved child to her 
husband. And would you, dear brother, firmly seize the 
hand of your bride in this hour, to retain it throughout the 
days of your life, would you, dear sister, gladly promise to 
be faithful to the husband of your choice, if you did not 
have the mutual confidence and faith, that you will be able 
to establish a happy home by your union? If, however, 
this faith is not to be shaken by the storms and changes of 
life, it must in turn be founded upon confidence in someone 
else, faith in the Lord, your God. 

And now abideth faith and love. What occasion is more 
appropriate for proclaiming the praises of love than the 
wedding day? It is love which has led you thus far: the 
love of God, which has guided you so that to-day you can 



— 71 — 

lift grateful hands and hearts to Him while you utter the 
prayer, "I am not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies;" 
the love of your parents, which has watched over you in the 
days of your childhood and of your youth. Love surrounds 
you on this day on all sides, the love of those who rejoice 
with you. Even from the eternal world the loving eyes of 
departed relatives and friends look down upon you, and in- 
voke the blessing of the Almighty upon the union of your 
hearts. 

This love dwells especially in your hearts. Nor can you 
possess too much of it. For during your married life it will 
have to endure many severe tests. It will be proved in the 
disappointments and trials of every-day life. It will prove 
itself by patience in bearing the faults of one another. Do 
not forget that you will have to forgive and to forbear. 
When 'love is lacking in a home it seems cold and inhospit- 
able, as if the storms of winter were raging in it; but where 
love reigns as queen, there it is warm and cozy, as if the 
gentle spring sun were sending its rays into heart and home. 
The heavenly sun it is which must constantly kindle anew 
the flame of love within the heart. To endeavor to renew 
our love in our own strength would be like attempting to 
draw water from a dry well. Christ is that one fountain of 
love which is never exhausted. "Greater love hath no man 
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

And finally hope. This quality also has a wide field on 
this clay. Let us not amid, the many earthly wishes and 



72 



hopes which stir our hearts to-day, forget the ore great hope, 
which is that we may be saved. To work out our salvation 
is the most important task of our lives. May you be com- 
panions also on the narrow way leading to life eternal, help- 
ing one another on the road to the eternal home. And what 
shall be our hopes as to the way between this day and the 
eternal goal? We will commit it to the loving Father in 
heaven. It is He who has brought you together, and He will 
lead you in the future. Lord, deal with us according to 
Thy good pleasure. We are satisfied to know that we are 
attended and sustained by Thy wisdom and love. This is 
our hope. "And now abideth faith, hope, love, these 
three, but the greatest of these is love." Amen. 



73 



XX. 



But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for 
himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him. — Psalm 4, 3. 

There is not a child of God in the world who does not 
have reason gratefully to praise the wonderful ways of the 
Lord. His dealings all serve for our welfare and happiness. 
You, dear friends, have a special reason for praising the Lord 
on this day. You have trodden separate paths during the 
past. To-day your lives shall be united. Of course you 
must understand that your ways are the ways of the Lord. 
This understanding you will gain when you consider the 
words of the psalmist: "But know that the Lord hath set 
apart him that is godly for Himself." This passage admon- 
ishes us: 

To consider the wonderful ways of the Lord — 

(1) With reverence; 
• (2) With gratitude; 

(3) With hope. 

1. 

It is strange how God destines and educates for one an- 
other two human beings who have known nothing of each 
other, who have never seen each other. He does not always 
unite similar characters, but rather such as complement each 
other, i. e., who are so constituted that the virtues of the 



— 74 — 

one supplement and balance the faults of the other. I do 
not speak of such marriages which are entered upon on 
account of outward, monetary, worldly reasons, but of those 
to which the words of Holy Scripture apply: "What God 
hath joined together, let not man put asunder." The Lord 
of Glory, whom the cherubim and seraphim serve, who guides 
the moon and the stars, does not regard it as too unimpor- 
tant to concern himself with two human beings, to train and 
to educate them until they have found one another. The 
loving Father in heaven beholds even the smallest and ap- 
parently most unimportant things. To Him nothing is un- 
important and without significance. His faithfulness is 
great and His truth endureth forever. He says in regard to 
every human being: " Behold I have graven thee upon the 
palms of my hands." 



To this sense of reverence is added the feeling of gratitude. 
You realize that you each need a supplement. Each of you 
has longed to find a heart in which you could trust implicitly. 
Now your longing has been satisfied. True, the fulfillment 
of this hope imposes many self-denials upon you. You must 
give up many things which are dear to you. You especially, 
dear bride, are called to undergo such self-denial. You must 
part from your loved ones and leave the companions of your 
youth. But you receive greater and richer gifts in exchange. 



75 



God so leads His children that they do not lose, but always 
gain. Therefore your parents bless the union of your hearts. 
With them you undoubtedly confess, full of gratitude, 
" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." 

3. 

If God has graciously guided you in the past, if He re- 
veals His presence to you even to-day, should He not de- 
serve your confidence for the future also? "Commit thy 
way unto the Lord, trust also in Him." " Hope maketh not 
ashamed." Cast it like an anchor into the bleeding wounds 
of Him who died on the cross for a sinful race. Hope is the 
staff of the godly. On it they lean when the days come in 
which they say, we have no pleasure in them. To the na- 
tural man this earth is a vale of tears, to the children of the 
Lord the fore-court of the sanctuary. Amid the changing 
events of this life hope tells you that God is your Father and 
you are His dear children. It teaches you to confess, even 
in the darkest hours of life, "He will never leave us, nor for- 
sake us." Blessed is the man who can journey forward to 
eternal life with firm hope in the eternal love. May God 
grant you this blessedness. Recognize that the Lord hath 
set apart him that is godly for himself. May the Lord, rich 
in grace and goodness, guide, bless, and crown you. Amen. 



— 76 — 



XXL 



Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of 
the world. Amen. — Mattheio 28, 20. 

A true union upon earth can never be formed by less 
than three; and this is especially true in regard to the union 
which is formed in matrimony. These three are, two human 
beings, and the Saviour. " Except the Lord build the house, 
they labor in vain that build it." Have you invited the 
Lord as a guest into your home, dearly beloved? He will 
gladly accept your invitation, for He has promised: "Lo, 
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 

He is with you with His counsel and advice. You may 
learn from Him your duties in the holy estate of matrimony; 
the duties of the husband in guiding and directing, of the 
wife in serving and obeying. You will learn from Him love 
and kindness, order and precision in the home, justice and 
truth in your daily life. His holy example, His precious 
Word will teach you all these things. Happy are you if 
thus you look up to Him, approach Him in prayer for and 
with one another, harken gladly to the proclamation of the 
Word. 

He is with you also as the observer of your life and con- 



duct. From men you can hide many secrets, but not from 
Him. His eyes look into the deepest recesses of the heart. 
Remember these words in the hour in which you will be 
tempted to do that which is wrong. The Holy Master knows 
what you ought to do and what you ought not to do. He 
sees when you allow the sun to go down upon your wrath. 
He sees when you mingle with the children of the world. He 
not only beholds these things, but is also present to set them 
right again and to give you strength to prove yourselves as 
His disciples. "I can do all things through Christ which 
strengtheneth me." This is the secret of the Christian's 
strength. 

He will be with you also in the dark valley. I am with 
you alway, even in evil clays, in which husband and wife 
groan under the burden of the cross, when the one, though 
he himself be weak, must yet support and yet strengthen the 
other. Believe me, there is wonderful strength and comfort 
in the knowledge of our oneness with God through Christ. 
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, 
they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and 
not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." 

To-day perhaps these dark thoughts may scarcely enter 
into your soul. And yet, happy are you if even at this time 
you are prepared to meet the storms of life. Seasons of 
stress and trial often prove the faithfulness of your love. 
Thus then, dear friends, enter into this holy estate full of 



confidence; do not forget to include the Master in the union 
of your hearts, and at all times join the poet as he sings: 

O blest the house, the joys of which Thou sharest, 

And never art forgot in scenes of joy; 
O blest the house for whose sad wounds thou cares t, 

Where all the sick Thy healing power employ; 
Until at last, the day's work fully ended, 

All finally in joyful rapture fly 
To that blest home to which Thou hast ascended, 

Unto the blessed Father's house on high. 
Amen. 



70 



XXII. 

And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. — 
John 2,2. 

This is the only wedding of which we know, to which 
Jesus was invited and at which He was present. For us on 
this occasion it is sufficient to know that He has hallowed 
this and all weddings by His presence at Cana. In several 
places the Lord speaks of marriage and its bliss, and He 
gives us the assurance that He will sanctify all joys, and 
consequently also the joys of matrimony. Therefore we may 
know that, though He was personally present at only one 
wedding, He would like to attend all weddings, and rejoices 
even to-day if He receives an invitation. At all times He 
is willing to accept the invitation; and therefore we ought 
to say at this time, "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest." 
Jesus will to-day be a witness, that He may hear the words 
of faith and love which you utter. He will be a witness in 
days to come, that He may behold your happy home life. 
He will be a constant witness, that He may behold how you 
are one in joy and sorrow, how you bear with and serve one 
another, how you order your ways according to His holy 
will. May the words of the poet be true in regard to your 
home also: 

O blessed house that cheerfully receiveth 
Thy visits, Jesus Christ, the soul's true Friend. 



— 80 — 

"And Jesus also was bidden." T Jesus, who takes part in 
the joys of the wedding day, Himself brings true joy with 
Him. He is the sun and the delight of the heart. He is 
our Savior, we His children. United in Him we can gladly 
enter upon the holy estate of matrimony. Joy in Him and 
with Him is not merely a passing emotion, a fitful flame. 
What is the fruit of the so-called joys of the children of the 
world? Weariness and regret, sorrow and sadness. But 
where two rejoice in Jesus, and even in worldly, every-day 
joys, lift up their eyes to Him, there joy is not followed by 
sorrow, but is rather increased. There the words of Jesus 
are fulfilled: "I will see you again, and your heart shall re- 
joice and your joy no man taketh from you." Hallow then 
the joy of the wedding day and all the joys of your married 
life in the name of Jesus, and you will never experience the 
feeling of regret. On the contrary, you will at all times 
gratefully exclaim: Thank God, that we bade Jesus also to 
the marriage. 

Jesus will increase your happiness, He will also help you 
to bear sorrow and transform it into joy. Bring all your 
afflictions, the great and the small, to the Lord in prayer. 
He is the true comforter in times of need ; the true helper in 
the hours of affliction. Goodness and mercy shall follow 
the children of God all the days of their lives. In the hours 
of sorrow He reveals His love in a special degree. He has 
bought your souls with a price, with His precious blood, and 
therefore He wants them as His possession. The Lord has 



81 



granted you grace so that you may enter into the holy estate 
of marriage, not that through care and anxiety for the 
things of this world, through pleasure and enjoyment, you 
may hinder one another on the way of life, but that you may 
help, and assist each other to gain life eternal. Viewed in 
the light of the eternal world, even the afflictions of life are 
joys, for they lead us nearer to the Lord. 

Thus, then, whether you eat or drink, do it in the name 
of the Lord; whether you rest or labor, let it be in His name. 
May the Word of God, the house of the Lord, prayer and 
meditation be for you rays of light and of joy^in Jesus, so 
that you may be able to say: 

O blessed house the joys of which thou sharest, 
And never art forgot in scenes of joy. 

May Jesus from this festal day to which you have invited 
Him, be your guest and lead you on to the eternal day of 
joy, to which He invites us all. Amen. 



82 



XXIII. 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you: and ; lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world. Amen. — Matthew 28, 20. 

How holy is this hour! Our hearts are filled with deep 
emotions. Longing and yet trembling, you have looked for- 
ward to the moment in which you should join your hands in 
an eternal union. Now that moment has arrived. Your 
loved ones in this holy hour lift up praying hands to heaven, 
and all their wishes are expressed in the prayer that the Lord 
may bless and keep you. 

This interest of your friends in your future welfare must 
undoubtedly deeply move you, but it cannot satisfy you. 
Your hearts in this hour should not cling to this earth, but 
'ascend to the fountain of all blessing, joy and peace. We 
can wish you much happiness, but we cannot give it to you. 
The Lord only can do this. Harken then to the words of 
the Savior: 

Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world: 

(1) I have been with you in the past; 

(2) I am with you in this holy hour; 

(3) I will be with you to all eternity. 

1. 

Beloved, the wedding day is, in the first place, a day of 
retrospection. As you look back into the past what do you 



— 83 



behold? You see a vast number of monuments — monu- 
ments of the goodness of the Lord. The inscription on one 
reads "Eben-Ezer," on another "Peniel," on a third one 
"Bethel/' on a fourth one "Mahanaim," etc. The different 
monuments bear different inscriptions, but on all we see the 
same handwriting. These stones are testimonies of the 
grace and goodness of the Lord. Are your eyes opened so 
that you can behold these monuments? Ah, only too often 
the eyes of men are closed to these wonders. But in an hour 
like this, when hearts beat faster, and when we ascend the 
highest heights of happiness, we all can behold in our past 
life, spread out like a grand panorama, the marks of divine 
grace. And as we consider them, do we not feel like prais- 
ing and glorifying the name of the Lord? True, our thanks 
are mingled with shame. You think of many hours of 
doubt, and faintheartedness, of the times when the proud 
heart presumed to know things better than the loving Fa- 
ther in heaven, when childlike confidence left your troubled 
soul. Yet this very shame is a stimulus to gratitude, for 
the better we realize how unworthy we are of the goodness 
of God, the more will we learn to be grateful. 



From the past we turn to the present. Can you not 
hear the voice of the Lord saying, "Lo, I am with you in 
this holy hour?" Can you not see Him at the same time 



— 84 — 

waiting for the vows of your soul? My dear friends, the 
joyful wedding day is a very solemn day. There is scarcely 
another day in the life of man which is of greater importance. 
We conclude the past, the curtain falls ; a new scene begins, 
we enter upon a new period in our pilgrimage. You es- 
pecially, dear sister, will notice this change. With this day 
you leave the home of your childhood with all its pleasures 
and all its happiness, to rule and to reign in a new home. 
You also, dear brother, will be confronted by new tasks and 
new duties, which perhaps will be more difficult than you 
have imagined. 

What, then, is the duty of the Christian in an hour like 
this? To lift up his eyes toward heaven, and to vow: u O 
Lord, thou hast given me this maiden as a companion through 
life. I will prove my gratefulness to Thee by being faithful 
to her, by loving her with that love which never ceaseth, 
which is longsuffering and kind, which forgetteth itself and 
seeks its delight in the service of others." 

And you, dear sister, should you not add to this vow: 
"Lord, I thank Thee for the companion through life whom 
Thou hast given me. I promise to look up to him in Thy 
fear, to learn from him, to fulfill my duties in the home, to 
love him with the same love which he offers me. 



If you have Him with you, all is well. He will hallow 
the hour of joy, and He will help you bear affliction, which 



— 85 — 

will come to your house also, since it walks from house to 
house and spares none. Does the burden of daily life rest 
heavily upon you, do you feel the curse resting upon the 
human race, do you have to eat your bread in the sweat of 
your brow, does life demand almost impossible things from 
you? Do not despair. He is with you, His rod and His 
staff shall comfort you. 

Beloved, in this hour the Lord offers Himself to you as 
your companion. Receive Him, open wide the doors of 
your home, lift up the gates of your hearts, that He may 
enter. Who? The King of glory, the Fountain of love and 
grace, the Prince of life and peace. Amen. 



— 86 — 



XXIV. 



Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. — Matthew 
26, 41. 

In olden times it was customary to address to people who 
desired to enter into the holy estate of matrimony this ques- 
tion: "Have you approached the throne of God in prayer, 
so that you have the assurance of the divine blessing for the 
union of your hearts?" In many instances the answer was 
yes, when it ought to have been no. In our days this ques- 
tion is not asked, and yet it is true that if anyone desires a 
blessing for his marriage he must go to the Lord, he must 
speak with Him, and then be able gladly to say: Yes! I am 
certain, that we may assume these things of you. One would 
think, then, that all who have thus carefully examined them- 
selves, would also at all times find joy and happiness in 
matrimony. But alas, we have in our hearts the old cor- 
rupt nature which constantly endeavors to destroy the good 
impulses of the soul. Therefore it is very necessary that, 
even after careful self-examination before the throne of God, 
we bear the words of the Master in mind : " Watch and pray." 
Perhaps you think it might have been more befitting to 
select a passage of Holy Scripture for this occasion, which 
expressed joy and gladness. And yet, if you heed the words 
of our text, you will find this joy in heart and home. Love 
t is which unites you in this hour. The love which seeketh 



- 87 — 

not her own; which seeks its joy in the joy of the other; 
which can exercise self-denial, which can humble itself, bear 
and forbear. But, alas, hidden in our hearts, slumbers the 
proud and selfish nature. We all know what evil it can ac- 
complish. Often it works exactly the opposite of that which 
we desire. This nature is in you also. Watch, therefore, 
examine yourselves, judge yourselves, be on your guard. 
Is it your desire that your love be not only a sentiment, but 
truth? Do you desire that the words of God be fulfilled in 
your lives also, that the husband should love his wife, the 
wife fearlessly fear the husband, then watch. In Mark we 
read: "And what I say, I say unto all, watch." To-day 
we say, "What I say, I say to you both, watch!" 

At the same time we add, pray. When on this occasion 
you answer yes, you utter the first prayer. I am afraid that 
there are married people with whom it is at the same time 
their last prayer. I hope you will be instant in prayer. Do 
not cease to pray with and for one another. As long as this 
is done earnestly, there is no serious danger, for there is still 
love. Prayer unites hearts as nothing else upon earth, 
especially in times of affliction. We cannot promise that 
such times will not come during your life. Days of happi- 
ness should lead us to the Master, days which we call evil 
should unite us still closer with the Lord of grace. They 
will do it, if prayer be our pilot across the dark floods. Enter 
into matrimony with prayer. It gives you the assurance 
that God is a loving Father of all His children, that He will 



88 



never forsake them. " Yea, though I walk through the val- 
ley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." He will 
grant us the desires of the heart, and especially the one 
thing which is needful. He will give us tor our lives faith, 
through faith righteousness, through righteousness peace, 
through peace eternal life. Amen. 



89 — 



XXV 



A WIDOW. 



For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, 
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. — 
Jeremiah, 29, 11. 

It is your wish, dear friends, not to enter upon the holy 
estate of marriage without having the assurance that the 
Lord has placed His blessing upon the union of your hearts, 
so that the rays of divine love may accompany you on your 
journey through life, and that his faithfulness may be the 
rock upon which you shall safely build your home. If your 
hearts are thus filled with filial confidence, if your faith 
does not desire to undertake anything without having the 
assurance of divine assistance, then the Lord will not leave 
you in uncertainty and doubt. He will appear in your 
midst and say to you: "For I know the thoughts that I 
think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil." 

That the Lord has thoughts of peace toward you, He has 
proved by His kind direction in the past. Though it de- 
volves upon you now to undertake the journey of life to- 
gether, to support yourselves by the labors of your hands, 
yet it is a beautiful thought, that the Lord has prepared a 
comfortable home for you, dear brother, so that you will not 
be compelled to worry for your daily bread, and for you, 



- 90 — 

dear sister, that He has given you again a strong support, 
so that you can place your cares and troubles upon the 
strong shoulders of your husband. It undoubtedly is a 
comforting thought for you, that after the many years of 
lonely widowhood, you have won again the heart of a man, 
who will be able to assist you with counsel and advice. The 
Lord knows the thoughts He thinks toward you, thoughts 
of peace and not of evil. And if you undertake your pilgrim- 
age in firm confidence upon the Lord, you will realize more 
and more, in the important as well as the unimportant 
affairs of life, that the Lord has only thoughts of peace with 
you. 

Both of you have passed through much tribulation dur- 
ing your past lives. You, dear brother, have stood by the 
graves of your parents. You, dear sister, have learned early 
to bear the burdens of life. Only three years since you stood 
full of joy before the altar, to pledge matrimonial love to 
your departed husband. How many tears and sighs did 
those three years have in store for you. Ah, how your 
heart bled when you laid first your child into the cold grave, 
and then only a few months later saw your husband called 
to the eternal home. 

At that time you found comfort in the words of the 
prophet: "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, 
thoughts of peace and not of evil." Has not the Lord ful- 
filled this promise? Has He not been with you during the 
days of your widowhood? Though to-day we cannot lift 



91 



the veil which hides the future from our wondering eyes, 
yet you may rest assured that the Lord is the same yesterday, 
to-day and forever. 

At the same time, though, we ought to remember that if 
the Lord gladly offers Himself as our counsellor and helper, 
we ought to conduct our lives in such manner that the Lord 
will be enabled to carry out His thoughts. Do you desire 
His blessing and His peace? Then you must daily ask for 
these precious gifts. Is it your wish that your house be a 
house of the Lord? Then you must conduct your lives ac- 
cording to the Word of God, so that all who enter into your 
home may recognize that the law of the Lord is the rule of 
your lives. Do you desire that the bond of love unite your 
hearts at all times? Then you must also learn patiently to 
bear with one another, and to assist each other on the path 
of life. 

Enter then into this holy estate trusting in the Lord. 
Remember that it is your duty to lead one another heaven- 
ward. If to-day you accept the Lord through a firm and 
living faith, if you each will say with Jacob, "I will not let 
Thee go, except Thou bless me," then you shall at all times 
experience the truth of the words: "I know the thoughts 
that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace 
and not of evil." Amen. 



92 — 



XXVI. 

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every- 
one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Hereby know we 
that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his 
Spirit. — 1 John, 4, 7-13. 

Hours come and go! Slowly they seem to approach, 
but soon they are gone. The happiest hours pass the most 
quickly. The same is true also in regard to this solemn and 
holy hour, to which you have looked forward with longing, 
and yet also with a certain degree of sadness; this hour 
which is of such great importance for your future life; this 
hour in which your loved ones join with you in the prayer: 
"Lord, bless the coming in and the going out." If, while 
contemplating the goodness of the Lord in the past, you ex- 
claim: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His 
benefits," then you will also feel a desire, while looking for- 
ward into the future, to pray: "Abide with us, Lord Jesus. 
We will not let Thee go, except Thou bless us." True, life 
at this moment lies before you suffused with heavenly light, 
and all care and anxiety are forgotten. Yet is it impossible 
to banish all sad and solemn thoughts and emotions. Let 
us then turn to the divine sun of righteousness. Let us open 
our hearts to the rays of love proceeding from it. Let us 
direct our souls heavenward with the prayer, that His Word 
may also in the future be a light unto our feet and a lamp on 



93 



our path. His word will show us that our love can have 
the right foundation only as it is based upon the love of 
God. In it we behold: 

(1) The true source of love; 

(2) The true test for love; 

(3) The true happiness of love. 



" Love is of God/' thus the apostle John exclaims. What- 
ever true and genuine love is found in this world, springs 
forth from the fountain of divine love. Ask a happy bridal 
couple: Does not love often have its origin and source in 
this world? Have not many happy marriages resulted from 
a love which originated within the heart of man and from 
there flowed into the home? Beloved, many streams of love 
have flowed through the world, but many of them have also 
been polluted and made turbid by human selfishness and 
passion. How many things in this world are called love! 
And yet earthly love is only a gay outward garment. No, 
no, genuine love, that which makes this earth a paradise, and 
matrimony the fore-court of heaven, which ennobles and ele- 
vates man and fills his soul with unspeakable joy, this love 
is of God. All the scattered drops of love, all the thousands 
of rivers of love upon earth which have and always will re- 
fresh your souls, spring forth from the fountain of love in 
heaven, which is God. If this fountain is exhausted for us, 



— 94 — 

then we perish like the wilting flower. If it constantly bub- 
bles forth for us, it will make the sickly well, the sorrowing 
rejoicing, the burdened light-hearted. Therefore hasten to 
this fountain. The love of God has called you into exist- 
ence, protected you in the days of your youth, upheld you 
all the days of your life. In love God has led you together, 
and says to you at this holy moment: Give Me your hearts. 
If you harken to Him, then the bond of love which at this 
time unites your hands and hearts will remain firm and in- 
dissoluble. Yea, should your love ever be in danger of fail- 
ing, God's love will strengthen it again. May that love be 
the foundation of your marriage, the source of your love. 
That love of God which gave the greatest of all gifts to the 
children of men, which sent the only-begotten Son into the 
world, that love impels us to love one another. "If we love 
one another. God dwelieth in us." This is the test of love. 



If the fountain of love has flowed into our selfish hearts, 
new life and new love will spring up in them. Ah, how nec- 
essary it is that day after day we follow in the footsteps of 
Jesus, be delivered from all selfishness, and filled with the 
love "which is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, beareth 
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth 
all things." Many times will come in your married life, 
when it will be necessary to give proof of your love. On the 
wedding day, when the hearts of bride and groom are filled 



— 95 — 

with love, it seems so unnecessary to remind them to be true 
to one another. And yet, let me implore you never to for- 
get the words of the apostle John: " Beloved, if God so loved 
us, we ought also to love one another." During the years 
of your married life you will notice defects and faults in one 
another, which your eye of love had overlooked. Then it 
becomes our duty to bear and to forbear, to forgive and to 
forget, not only to take, but also to give, not only to rest, 
but also to serve and to sacrifice. 

You, dear brother, will from now on have a companion 
through life who is not accustomed to the luxuries of wealth, 
but who has been surrounded by the love of her parents, 
brothers and sisters, and who therefore is accustomed to 
breathe the atmosphere of love. Prove to her by the 
strength and kindness, the unchangeableness and firmness of 
your love, that it has been lighted from the altar fires of 
God's love. 

Your, dear sister, have in the future the one noble and 
grand task to become one with your husband in faithful 
love. The love of a woman is weak and tender, sensitive 
and changeable, if it is based only upon the passing emo- 
tions of the heart. But it is precious and strong, if it is 
given of God, if it is constantly nourished by prayer and the 
Word of God. 

3. 

Finally, let me say a few words in regard to the true hap- 
piness of love. "If we love one another, God dwelleth in 



96 



us, and His love is perfected in us." Of the stream which 
went forth from the garden of Eden we read: "The name of 
the first is Pison, where there is gold." The stream of God 
bears the precious gold of true happiness. If then you can 
truly say: "God with us and we with Him," then you will 
rest securely, even amid the storms of life. 

Sadness fills your heart, dear sister, as you depart from 
the home of your childhood. What will the future have in 
store? What will life bring? How many of the hopes which 
fill your soul in this hour will be fulfilled? We need not 
worry. All care and anxiety is transformed by the words : 
"God dwelleth in us." You have the best dowry, faith in 
the love of the Lord. Trusting in His love you will be able 
to establish a new Eden upon earth, so that the words of 
Revelation will be fulfilled: "Behold, the tabernacle of God 
is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be 
His people, and God himself shall be with them, and He shall 
be their God." Blessed happiness. 

Enter Thou into the hearts of these Thy people, O faith- 
ful God. Fill them with divine strength. Pour Thy love, 
Thy very heart into their hearts, that they may be Thy 
temple, until Thou shalt bring them also into Thy sanctuary 
above, where it shall be proved that love is stronger than 
death, that it abideth forever. Amen. 



y7 - 



XXVII. 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting 
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of 
glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting 
doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. — Psalm 24 3 7-9. 

" Behold thy King cometh unto thee," these words of 
Scripture are appropriate, not only during the holy season 
of Advent, but on every Sabbath day, and at all special 
times in the life of man. The Heavenly King, Jesus Christ, 
would gain entrance into your hearts, my dear friends. He 
knocks at the doors of your hearts, and would be the third 
one in your union. The doors of your home on this festal 
day are opened wide to receive all the guests. Will you not 
open the doors of your heart also to receive the chief Guest, 
of whom the psalmist says: " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, 
and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors; and the King of 
glory shall come in." We ask: " Who is this King of glory?" 
and receive the answer: "The Lord, strong and mighty, the 
Lord mighty in battle." 

Let this King of glory enter into your hearts and your 
home. 

(1) He brings love and peace; 

(2) He brings help and blessing. 



98 — 



1. 



It was love which brought Christ into the world. He had 
compassion on the children of men, who were groaning in 
the fetters of sin, death and the devil. They must be won 
again for their rightful ruler, they should live under Him in 
the realms of peace. His love brings Him to you also. He 
is powerful enough to win your hearts and to place into them 
as His gifts, love and peace. The love of two people is a 
precious thing, but even the holiest human love must be 
sanctified. Husband and wife love each other truly only if 
they both are filled with the love of Christ. The Lord must 
give them strength to humble and to submit themselves, to 
rival each another, not in claims and demands, but in serv- 
ing love, which seeketh not her own, and which never 
ceaseth. To this love the Lord adds peace, so that you may 
spend your life in harmony and unity. Yea, He gives you 
that peace which the world can neither give nor take away 
from you — the peace of a heart reconciled with God. 



Wealth and worldly possessions, strength and endurance, 
help us to overcome many obstacles, but not all. During 
the lives of even the wealthiest men, there come times when 
they are at a loss what to do, when men cannot help them. 
Blessed is the man who at such times seeks his help in the 



— 99 



Lord. He can help in the hour in which human help is of 
no avail. He is Lord even over the storms of life. He is 
able to change sorrow into joy. He will give you that bless- 
ing upon which everything depends. Do not imagine that 
you can accomplish everything in your own strength. 
Blessings can be obtained only by prayer. The Lord alone 
can give them. He is able to multiply your possessions, and 
to give you a rich reward for your faithful labors. He gives 
to His children divine blessings for heart and home. Let 
this King of glory enter as a guest into your home. He is 
the truest friend, the mightiest support. Amen. 



LOFC. 



— 300 — 



XXVIII. 

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall give thee the desires 
of thine heart. — Psalm 37, 4. 

Dearly beloved, you purpose in this hour to establish a 
home, and for this important step you need a great deal of 
advice. You consult your relatives and friends, you also 
seek counsel of your own hearts. Yet the best advice you 
seek and find is in the holy temple of the Lord, where the 
founder of matrimony himself speaks to you, admonishing 
and at the same time promising. You hear — 

(1) The admonition: Delight thyself also in the Lord; 

(2) The promise: And He shall give thee the desires of 
thine heart. 

1. 

" Delight thyself also in the Lord." This signifies that 
you should think and speak as did Joshua: "But as for me 
and my house, we will serve the Lord." Your home should 
be a house of God, and you yourselves should constantly 
strive to lead a holy life. Blessed is the home where Christ 
is a guest. This cannot be said of all homes, though their 
inmates at some time may have promised faithfulness to the 
Lord. May you never forget the vows of this holy hour. 

Is it so very difficult to fulfill the demands of the Lord? 
Certainly not for you. For you must gratefully confess that 



— 101 — 

God has graciously led you in the past. You cannot but ex- 
claim: "I delight myself in the Lord." Your past life has 
been illumined by the rays of God's grace, so that you should 
the more gladly heed the admonition of this hour. 

Establish your home upon the true foundation, Jesus 
Christ. Approach the throne of God frequently in prayer; 
harken diligently to the Word of God, so that all men may 
see that it is your desire to lead one another to the eternal 
home. This is possible only as husband and wife are united 
in the one thing which is needful. 

2. 

Such a union has also the promise: "And he shall give 
thee the desires of thine heart." Married people have many 
desires. Their hearts long for love and peace, for health 
and happiness, for joy and blessing. They hope that in joy 
and sorrow their hearts will be united, and that the God of 
grace will always lead them with His counsel. 

This is an abundance of desires, which, however, are all 
warranted. Will they all be fulfilled? The Lord promises: 
"I will give thee the desires of thine heart." How gracious 
and comforting! All the desires of a God-fearing heart shall 
be satisfied. And if at any time a wish should not be ful- 
filled, ask yourselves the question: Was it a wish according 
to the will of God? And further: Would its fulfillment have 
brought a blessing to us? 

May the God of all grace guide and direct you. Amen. 



INDEX OF SCRIPTURE TEXTS TREATED. 

Page. 

I Amos 3, 3 3 

II 1 Peter 4, 10 6 

III Romans 12, 12 10 

IV Psalm 84, 11 15 

V Colossians 3, 14 19 

VI 1 Chronicles 17, 26-27 . 22 

VII Matthew 7, 24-27 28 

VIII Luke 10, 38-42 ^32 

IX Isaiah 61, 6 36 

X Joshua 24, 15 39 

XI John 20, 19 42 

XII 1 Chronicles 17, 27 45 

XIII Colossians 3, 14 .47 

XIV Genesis 32, 26, A Pastor 50 

XV Ruth 1, 16, 17 54 

XVI Ruth 1, 16, 17, A Pastor 58 

XVII Psalm 119, 105 62 

XVIII Psalm 71, 7-9, A Golden Wedding .... 65 

XIX 1 Corinthians 13, 13 70 

XX Psalm 4, 3 73 

XXI Matthew 28, 20 76 

XXII John 2, 2 . 79 

102 



— 103 — 

XXIII Matthew 28, 20 82 

XXIV Matthew 26, 41 86 

XXV Jeremiah 29, 11, A Widow 89 

XXVI 1 John 4, 7-13 92 

XXVII Psalm 24, 7-9 97 

XXVIII Psalm 37, 4 100 




JUL 15 1907 






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